Unexpected Love
by Natsuya801923
Summary: Hinamori Amu moved and is now attending Seiyo High School. At lunch one day, she notices 5 people. Their skin is pale white and ice cold. They are absolutely beautiful. One man in particular catches her eye... // somewhat based on Twilight // Amuto
1. New Place

**New story people!! Aren't you happy? xD jk! Hope you're not kidding though xp Anyways, I am retyping the first chapter of Twilight because I don't want to wait for my computer to work again and I don't want you readers to wait.**

**Should I change the title? "Unexpected Love" sounds….like….I don't know… It's just like a lot of people have those kinds of titles. Should I change it to "Twilight"? But that seems a bit…boring and like I'm copying someone's work… and that's not good :( Please give me some ideas!**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter!!**

**A/N: Ok, Yakushima does rain a lot but Himeji is sorta like Phoenix, Arizona in a sense. It was tough trying to find a place like Forks, Washington and Phoenix, Arizona. Bear with me please! Oh, and the characters may be a bit OOC. Also, Amu, Ikuto, Rima, Yaya, etc, is 17 years old.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara or Twilight in any way. Wish I did though T.T**

* * *

**New Place**

**Amu's POV**

"Are you sure you want to do this?" my mom asked for the millionth time. "It's not too late."

"For the millionth time, I _want _to go," I assured. Here I am at the airport waiting for my plane to go to Yakushima.

"If you're ok with it…" she trailed off. "Say hi to Tsumugu for me ok?"

"Sure, mom. Now I _really _have to go. I'll e-mail you or call you when I get to the house first thing ok?"

"Remember, Amu-chan! Have a nice time!"

I stepped out of my mom's view. Fun…huh. I'm sure it'll be a _blast_. I hated everything about Yakushima. I liked my life in Himeji… Everything in Yakushima is so rainy and dreary…what's to like? I sighed in defeat. Hope my mom has a nice time with my stepfather…

* * *

"Amu-chan! Over here!"

My head whirled around and I found Tsumugu. "Hi, Tsu—Dad." I could never say his name to his face.

"How's Midori?"

"She's doing great and she said hi."

"I see. Shall we go now?" he asked. I nodded in agreement. We got out of the airport and into his car.

"Dad, I need a car. I'm giving you a heads-up on that because I'm planning to buy one on my own," I brought up. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat when it was red light.

"You see, I already have a car for you…"

"Explain."

"I bought one from my friend. The Hotoris'. It's a bit old but I fixed it right up." Oh, great. An old car? Nice. I didn't say anything.

"It used to be orange…" Orange? "But I changed the color to silver since orange isn't really a color you like very much."

"Thanks, dad," I said.

His—now our—house came into view. The car sat on the driveway as if waiting to be ridden on. A silver pickup truck.

"Wow, dad! I love it already!" I exclaimed in joy as I got out of the car. I peered into the window of my new truck and the chairs were patched up but looked comfy.

"Glad you like it, Amu-chan. I'll get your things in the house."

"Thanks," I called out."

* * *

The house was just like I imagined it was. It didn't change from when I last was here. Same furniture—well, some furniture is new—same colored wallpaper…

"You know where your room is right?" he inquired.

"Yea," I replied. I went up the stairs with my belongings. I turned the doorknob and the door opened. My room is still the same as always. A desk with a lamp, an old computer, a comfortable twin bed, a dresser, etc.

"Amu-chan, dinner's ready and I already set you up at school. Just get your schedule at the front office and you're good to go," he explained from the hallway.

"Thanks!" I called out. I got my things ready for tomorrow and headed down to dinner.

* * *

This car is actually pretty good but it's really loud and slow. I still like it though. With the directions Tsumugu gave me in my left hand and my other hand on the steering wheel, I drove until I saw the high school. It's hard to miss in this small town. But this high school is smaller than my high school back at home. Hmm…I believe this is called Seiyo High School.

I parked my car and got off the truck. There were groups of students scattered all over the parking lot chatting and laughing. I'm the only loner girl here. Other cars were not as fancy like mine but boy did one car really stand out. A silver, shiny Volvo. A really rich person would have that. I walked briskly through the parking lot hoping not to attract attention and to hurry and go inside.

Fat chance. All eyes were on me. My dad probably told the whole town that I was coming home… He probably mentioned me having pink hair and who else do you know has pink hair? I ducked my head down as whispers could be heard through the groups of people. I'm so embarrassed! I sped up my pace and didn't notice someone in front of me…

"Omph!" I cried out. I fell onto the cement and rubbed my behind. Ow, that really hurt! I looked up to see who I bumped into. My breathing stopped instantly. Dark blue eyes bored into my honey colored eyes. Azure hair complimented his handsome features making him the hottest guy I have ever seen in my life.

I stood up quickly brushing off my clothes and then bowed. "Sorry about that!" I looked up but he was already walking away. What kind of person is he?! But he looks so…mysterious…

I practically ran because I could actually hear what the mob of people was saying.

"Isn't that Hinamori Amu?"

"Oh my god, I want to be in her shoes! She just bumped into the sexiest person in the whole school! Kya!!"

"She's so lucky!!"

How can I be lucky?! I just humiliated myself in front of everyone and you're calling me lucky?!

I opened the office door and a lady asked me, "May I help you?"

"I just transferred here and I was wondering if I could have a copy of my schedule."

"Of course!" she smiled at me. "What is your name, miss?"

"Hinamori Amu," I answered. Her eyebrows twitched. Figures. She searched through the computer and printed out a copy of my schedule.

"Have fun here at Seiyo High School!"

I thanked her and hurried out the office. I glanced at my schedule. Room 205 and….where is that? Great, I'm lost. Just perfect! I saw a green haired boy walking in front of me.

"Excuse me!" I called out. He turned around. He had turquoise eyes, green hair, and glasses.

"Yes?"

"I'm new here and I was wondering if you could help me find room 205."

"Sure thing. Follow me," he gestured and took the lead.

"Thank you so much!" I smiled at him. His cheeks had a tint of pink.

"A-Anyways, could you be Hinamori Amu?" Ah, this kid knows who I am. Who doesn't?

"Yes I am and you are…?"

"Sanjou Kairi. I'm also in your homeroom. Maybe we'll have more classes together," he hoped.

I nodded. "Sure. Is it ok for me to call you Kairi?"

"Yes."

"Thanks, Kairi." I grinned at him making him blush a little. "Call me Amu.

"O-Ok Amu-chan. Do you like it here?"

"It's ok I guess," I responded. _'Liar.' _I thought.

"How was it like in your hometown?"

"Himeji was sunnier and less humid. It's nice there."

"Why did you move then?"

"I decided to visit my dad and a change in the scenery," I half-lied.

"I see," he said. "Well, here we are." He opened the door and class was chatting but quieted down the moment I stepped into the room.

"Sorry I'm late, sensei. I was helping her get here."

"It's alright. You're excused," he said to Kairi. The teacher faced me. "You must be Himamori Amu-san, right?"

"It's Hi_na_mori."

"Ok class," he began. "It's a start of a new year and my name is Nikaidou-sensei. This here is Himamori-san. Why don't you greet yourself?"

I had a great urge to go up and kick the teacher for making fun of my name but what's the point? I have to deal with this now!

"Hinamori Amu. N-Nice to meet 'cha." Crap. Messed up. Why do I always do that?

Murmurs broke through the class.

"She's so cool!"

"Cool and Spicy!"

"Damn, she's hot."

I sighed inwardly. I just _had _to put up my outer façade. And wait, hot? I'm not pretty at all. Just average.

"Please sit next to Tsukiyomi-san. Could you raise your hand up hand so she can see where you are?"

I didn't see any hands. After a few seconds, a hand rose up ever slowly.

It's the same guy.

* * *

**End of Chapter**

**How was that readers? As always, next chapters will be longer. Now, which should I write first?**

_**Twilight**_

_**With You**_

_**Crossing Paths**_

**I'll probably do one chapter at a time. So I'll most likely update Crossing Paths next or With You. I just want to hear your opinions.**

**RATE AND REVIEW~!!! xD It makes an author so much more happier :D**


	2. The Tsukiyomis

**SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY for the really late update! I've been caught up with "Crossing Paths" and "With You" since I have a lot of ideas for it ^^ I'm really happy with the reviews I got =) 27 reviews for one chapter is blew me away :D**

**Wait, how long didn't I update? –checks last time updated- ……Holy crap!! It's been almost a month?????????? I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!!! **

**Thank you to these reviewers for chapter 1:**

Mitsuki Sakura Uchiha

hOw To LaUgH iN jUsT tEn DaYs

Hime Cullen Tsukiyomi

Talaks16

Shugocharapimp

xhappily-randomx

RinYuki-Violin

Muppiegurl

Sugar Minion

sweettara10

heatherful

Lollipopfan

Amuto Forever

helemeg93

twilight+_forever!

N e k o S o d a

melodygarden

animeangel12

Amuto15

babo123

Kiza

x-GlitterEyes-x

Amuto-4eva

rebellious-and-ditzy-bookroom

xiiaoICEangel

Raven

shugo-Raven

**Did any of you read chapter 36 of shugo chara? Here's the site to it for the people who wants it:**

**http : // tieba . baidu . com/ f?kz =50 8539150 (fill in the spaces) **

**If it doesn't work, PM me or write in your review. Ah, I can rant on and on about this chapter xD For those people who don't want to get spoiled, skip my rant. I'm gonna say because I'm so excited about it even though I can't read it -.- **

**Ok, so Ikuto's stepfather is forcing Ikuto to work for him and gather X-eggs. When Amu and Tadase reaches the top of tower, where Ikuto is at, Ikuto begins attacking Amu with his scythe. Amu gets hurt and then Tadase's protects Amu with a new weapon of his. It's like a fancy sword. Amu watches their fight from afar. Yoru then gets the Dumpty Key from Ikuto's violin case, which was behind Kazuomi Hoshina. Yoru throws it to Amu and then her Humpty Lock reacts to the Dumpty Key. She sees a vision. Inside the vision was a little Ikuto crying with tears streaming down his face. (me: aww….T.T) She then says something loudly and puts the key in the lock. Dun dun dun….and that's the end of chapter =( We have to wait until the 29****th**** of December I think. **

**I'm happy that Amu finally was able to be strong and put the key with the lock. This chapter is in volume 8 by the way. I hear that there will only be 10 mangas =O Sorry I'm my rant -.-' **

**Now on to chapter 2 of "Unexpected Love"! I think I'll just keep the title as it is because I'm too lazy -.- or I'll change it next chapter xD My mind is always changing lol.**

**A/N: Ok readers. Please be flexible with me. Amu is starting school in September. I know in Japan, they start in spring but in some places (like where I live), we start in September. Plus, it's the like a month or two into the school year. Amu came to Yakushima late. It works better that way. Please bear with it. Also, I have decided to make the charas into humans. Some of the charas though. Sorry and thank you!!!**

_**X-x-Flashback from Chapter 1-x-X**_

"_Ok class," he began. "It's a start of a new year and my name is Nikaidou-sensei. This here is Himamori-san. Why don't you greet yourself?"_

_I had a great urge to go up and kick the teacher for making fun of my name but what's the point? I have to deal with this now!_

"_Hinamori Amu. N-Nice to meet 'cha." Crap. Messed up. Why do I always do that?_

_Murmurs broke through the class._

"_She's so cool!"_

"_Cool and Spicy!"_

"_Damn, she's hot."_

_I sighed inwardly. I just __had __to put up my outer façade. And wait, hot? I'm not pretty at all. Just average._

"_Please sit next to Tsukiyomi-san. Could you raise your hand up hand so she can see where you are?"_

_I didn't see any hands. After a few seconds, a hand rose up ever slowly._

_It's the same guy._

_**X-x-End of Flashback-x-X**_

* * *

**The Tsukiyomis**

**Amu's POV**

I froze.

"Himamori-san?" Nikaidou-sensei said. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing at all," I mumbled, as I trudged through the aisles to get to my seat right next to _him_.

"I'm going out for about 10 minutes. Can I trust you?" Nikaidou-sensei asked.

"Hai!" Our class chorused and our teacher went out the door. Chatting exploded throughout the whole room.

I decided to make some kind of conversation since it was so awkward sitting here silently but then again, I never really socialize with people. But it's worth a shot. I faced Tsukiyomi-san.

'_Um, hi, Tsukiyomi-san. I'm Hinamori Amu. I hope that we can cooperate for this year'_? That's way out of character! Suddenly, the girl in front of me with blonde hair turned around to face me.

"Hi, I'm Mashiro Rima. Pleased to meet you," she greeted casually. At least somebody is nice! She held out her hand for a handshake. Out of the corner of my eye, Tsukiyomi shifted his position uncomfortably. I glanced at him and he looked anxious. I adverted my attention back to Mashiro-san and smiled at her.

"Hi, Mashiro-san. Pleased to meet you too," I replied as I reached for her hand. The moment our hands touched, shivers were sent down my spine. I felt like I had just touched an icicle.

"Call me Rima," she said not noticing me cringe. Or, she did notice and just ignored my reaction.

"Call me Amu then, Rima," I said with a smile. I'll ignore it too, if she ignored it. She smiled back and she looked like an angel. Dark blonde hair, petite girl, golden eyes….everything was perfect. She pulled her hand away.

"I hope we can be friends," Rima said happily.

"Me too," I responded. I notice Tsukiyomi-san move to the edge of his seat, as far as he can go away from me.

"Class, I'm back and that means no more talking!" I heard Nikaidou-sensei yell. Rima turned back to face the chalkboard while I sat there in wonder. Rima's hand was ice cold and she was incredibly gorgeous. The guy next to me is extremely handsome but…he's leaning away from me. Do I smell bad or something? I took a quick whiff of my hair. I took a shower last night using my favorite strawberry shampoo. I used my hair as a curtain to cover my face from him.

Is there something wrong with me? Or is there something with _him_?

* * *

"Ok, homeroom is over. Go to your next class. See you later!" Nikaidou-sensei called out to the whole class. Tsukiyomi-san was the first one at the door and he glided out the door. How on earth did he get from sitting in his seat to the door in merely two seconds? We were in the back of the room!! A normal person that ran—and noticeably—would have taken about 5 seconds to get to the door. I looked in front of me and Rima was gone too. So mysterious….

"Hi," I heard someone greet. I turned to my left and found a good-looking boy with green hair and light brown eyes. "Aren't you Hinamori Amu?"

"Just call me, Amu," I said. He grinned at me.

"Alright, Amu-chan. Where are you headed to?"

"Umm…." I searched for my schedule and scanned the paper. "I have bio next."

"Really? That's my next class too!" he exclaimed. His smile makes me want to smile back. "I'll show you the way if you want me to," he offered. I nodded.

"Would you? Umm…." I trailed off not knowing his name.

"Saito Daichi. Daichi's fine," he said answering my unspoken question.

I smiled. "Thanks, Daichi." He blushed at my remark.

* * *

Daichi's personality was bubbly, cheerful, and an all-round nice guy. He supplied most of the conversation. He plays a lot of sports, but his favorite is soccer. Daichi and I soon reached the door of room 307. He opened the door for me.

"Thank you."

"No problem." He flashed a smile at me. What a bright gentleman. I went to the teacher's desk while Daichi went to his seat. While my bio teacher searched through his papers to find worksheets for me, I scanned the room. I could see Rima waving at me. I waved back happily. I'm glad she's in my class. Next to her was someone with purple long hair. He seemed nice and he was good-looking. His eyes were slightly darker than me, but still golden. They were stationed in the middle of the room. The desks had a black top over it. Are all the desks in the school like this?

I spotted someone with pink hair. Wow. Someone actually has the same hair color as me. Maybe we'll get along. I smiled at the thought. I've never been the social type and most people admire me, instead of being my friend.

I stiffened at where my eyes landed next. Are. You. _Freaking._ Kidding. Me. Furious, dark blue eyes glared at me. There were so many emotions mixed in his eyes. Was there also…lust?

"Hinamori-san?" I twirled around. "Here you go. Call me Suzuki-sensei." I then thanked him for the papers. I already knew most of these. This is easy enough for me. I've already done all of these at my old school.

He clapped his hands together to get the attention of his class. "Please give me your undivided attention to the front. Right here is a new student to the school. Please give a warm welcome to her. How about you introduce yourself?" _(A/N: It's a guy teacher by the way. Did you read my author's note above? It's important!!! )_

I breathed, barely noticeable, and said, "Hinamori Amu. Nice to meet cha." Voices broke through the room. The usual comments.

"Cool and Spicy!!!"

"Give me my 10 bucks! I knew she would be in my class!"

"Aw, man!"

"She was in my homeroom!"

Betting? What the hell. I didn't expect that. Suzuki-sensei was scanning the room for a free seat. I looked around as well and spotted one. But it was right next to _him_. Please don't be there, please don't be there, please don't be there…

"Please sit next to Tsukiyomi-san." NOOO!!!!!!!!!! This _cannot_ be happening!

"…sure," I replied. I plodded towards my seat of doom. Luckily for me, Rima sat in front of me and next to her was the purple haired guy. Rima turned around.

"I'm glad we're in the same class."

I smiled. "Me too. I won't be so lonely then." Was it just me, or did Rima take a quick whiff at me?

After the teacher called our attention, I glanced towards Tsukiyomi. I regretted it the moment I looked over at him. His hands were balled up in fists, making his knuckles white, and he was leaning away from me as far as he possibly could. This…is so _weird_. I've never met anyone who hated me the first time they laid eyes on me.

Throughout the rest of the period, his fists never relaxed.

* * *

_Lunch_

Ah, finally some time for some relaxation!! I began to recognize people in my class. It's not that hard since this school has like 400 people. I became friends with someone named Kawano Ran, Kawano Miki, Kawano Su, and Kawano Dia. They are fraternal quadruplets and all four of them are nice and different. Ran, the oldest, is energetic, bubbly, reminds me of Daichi. She also does cheerleading after school. Miki, second oldest, is the opposite of Ran. She's calm and collected and shy. She's also in the art club because her drawings are the best ever. Su, third oldest, is sometimes a bit ditzy but she isn't stupid. She's has a tendency to say "desu" at the end of her sentences though. She's in the cooking club because she likes to cook. She promised that'll she make a strawberry shortcake for me. Dia, the youngest, has the most beautiful voice. Her dream is to be a singer someday. She's doesn't talk a lot but you can tell she's nice. She's in chorus and one of the lead singers.

There was also this guy named Yamamoto Yoru. He has purple, messy hair with yellow cat eyes. He himself is like a cat. He likes to sleep in class a lot and says "nya" at the end of his sentences.

With my 4 new friends, we walked down to the cafeteria. We went in line to get our lunch. After that, I noticed Daichi waving us over. I sat down next to Daichi, who was on my right, and Ran and on my left. Once we sat down, Ran chatting animatedly with Daichi. I noticed Kairi and Yoru at our table. I also recognized a girl who was in my English class. Yamabuki Saaya I believe. I turned around and froze. There they were. Wow. There were only 5 people at their table.

"What are you staring at Amu-chan?" Ran asked. She turned around and saw what I saw. "Oh, are you staring at the Tsukiyomis?"

"What do you mean by 'Tsukiyomis'?"

"They're all in the same family. Their mother is Tsukiyomi Souko and their father is Tsukiyomi Aruto. They're both very young. Maybe in their mid-thirties?"

"Aren't they a little too old to be their kids…?"

"Oh no, they're all adopted. Ikuto-kun, Rima-san, and Utau-san are under the name of Tsukiyomi and were first adopted. Later, Nagihiko-kun and Kukai-kun were adopted later and were under the name of Tsukiyomi." She pointed out who was who.

"Wow. That was really nice of their parents to adopt them and they're all beautiful…" I trailed off. They looked like models. Tsukiyomi Utau has sleek, blonde hair in high pigtails. Next to her was Rima and next to her was Tsukiyomi Nagihiko I believe. Next to him was Tsukiyomi Kukai. He had light brown, almost orange, hair and he was big. Next to him was Tsukiyomi Ikuto. The strange thing, however, was that they weren't eating anything. Rima had an unbitten apple and an unopened can of soda. The other four just got a normal lunch but all of the food was untouched. Utau-san looks familiar though…

Ran nodded. "Yea. Utau-san is a singer."

"Really?" I asked in amazement.

"You didn't know?" Dia bumped into the conversation. "Hoshina Utau is her stage name. Ring a bell?"

Oh. That's why she looked so familiar… "Oh, her. Her songs are very good." I must admit, she is one of my favorite singers.

Dia nodded fervently. Wow, she sure is into the conversation when it's about music. "Yes, they are. My favorite is Black Diamond and Replay Machine. I wish I could be like her someday…" Dia quietly ended. Miki spoke next.

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto-san is a renowned violinist. Have you ever heard of him?"

I shook my head. "Never. Until now. Are his songs good?"

"Of course! I like classical music and he is one of my favorite players. His music is so mysterious and lovely…" Miki trailed off.

"Even I like his songs and I don't even like classical music that much!" Ran said.

"And Rima-san is a fashion designer," Su added.

"Rima?!" Wow, this couldn't get any shocking.

"And Kukai-kun is a professional soccer player!" Ran excitedly filled me in.

"Are they all famous or something?" I gaped. No offense, but why would they go to this dreary school?

"Yep. Lastly, Nagihiko-kun is a basketball player. Amazing, huh?" Ran finished.

"Yea…wow." I was speechless. All of them are famous and well-known so why are they here?

I stared back at them but met eyes that were frustrated and…curious? I flushed and quickly turned away. Oh geez.

"Ikuto-san is still staring at you." Ran seemed amused from her tone.

"Stop staring!" I demanded. Ran giggled but looked away.

"Hey, Amu-chan, do you want to come to the beach with us? I'm inviting our table to the beach on Saturday in two weeks. They said that it'll be sunny." Daichi's voice had a strange edge to it…jealousy?

"Sure. I'll be able to go," I agreed. Our table chatted some more about the trip. I took a few glances towards Rima's table and none of them were staring at us anymore. Occasionally, one did glance towards our table.

* * *

Finally gym is over! I seriously suck at sports. The only one I really like is dodgeball but we're not doing that right now. We're doing basketball and I'm okay at it but I sometimes hurt people by accident. I sighed. I headed towards the office because the office lady asked to come back to the office to talk for a bit. I trudged, my body sore.

When I reached the office, another person was there. _He_ was quietly consulting with the brown haired lady from today. Now that I notice, she was in her early thirties. Her eyes told me that she was debating something internally.

"Is there something wrong with Suzuki-sensei?" the brunette asked.

"No, it's not him. Is there any way I can have bio at another period other than second? Any other period is fine."

Ok, now I _definitely_ think there is something wrong with me. Who could possibly hate me? I've only been here for a day for God's sake!

I felt wind blowing my hair to the left. I turned to my right and saw a girl open the door to leave a piece of paper on the desk near the door. She then went out. I faced towards Tsukiyomi-san's way again. He was glaring at me. I stepped back a step from the intensity of the glare. He turned back to the woman.

"I see that it's impossible. Thank you so much for your time." He quickly walked out the office and out the door leaving me in awe. What…was that? My feet felt numb when I walked to the counter.

"How's your day going, honey?" the dark haired woman asked.

"Fine," I softly answered.

She told me if I needed anything, just come straight to the office. She suggested any clubs if I wanted to be in but I declined all the offers. We talked some more about the school and I left the building. The parking lot was almost empty as I got into my silver truck. The engine startled me a little but I'm going to have to get used to it.

* * *

Dad wasn't home until another hour or so. I fixed dinner for us and did my homework during the hour. When he came home, he hung up his belt with his gun on the hook of the wall. Tsumugu was a cop in this town.

"How was school, Amu-chan?"

"…Fine."

After dinner, I went upstairs to do my homework while Tsumugu watched TV. There wasn't much conversation going on between us and I expected that.

Around ten, I got ready for bed and said good night to Tsumugu. I climbed into my bed waiting for sleep to wash through me. I couldn't exactly sleep so well because the rain was pattering loudly on the roof of our house. I just have to get used to it…

My thoughts flickered to five certain people. The last image in my head was the fierce glare Tsukiyomi Ikuto gave me today at the office before I blacked out.

* * *

**End of Chapter**

**Did you like the chapter readers? Sorry if it was too informative or whatever and boring -.- I'll try to put in some action in the next chapter xD Anyways, I'm hoping to make another update soon. I don't have many ideas with this book and I don't want to copy Twilight.**

**Were you guys surprised with Rima's personality? ^^**

**Can you guess who is who? Who is Ikuto in Twilight? (sorta obvious) Who is Utau in Twilight? Who is Rima…etc.**

**RATE AND REVIEW~!!!!!!! x) It makes me really happy! =)**


	3. Getting To Know Each Other

**SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY FOR THE SUPER LATE UPDATE!!!!!!!!!! (the number of sorry's is the number of days I haven't updated, and that's a lot!!!! T.T) *cries in corner***

**Thank you to these reviewers for chapter 2:**

Crimson Regret  
demonue  
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Muppiegurl  
EmikoHoshiko  
ayumistar00  
Hime Cullen Tsukiyomi  
Dreaming Songstress Tomoyo  
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All I Want For Xmas is Ikuto  
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Kurai hi  
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tarouchoo

_End of List_

**I don't feel like typing my rants so…onto to the chapter!!!!! xD**

_**X-x-Flashback of Chapter 2-x-X**_

_Around ten, I got ready for bed and said good night to Tsumugu. I climbed into my bed waiting for sleep to wash through me. I couldn't exactly sleep so well because the rain was pattering loudly on the roof of our house. I just have to get used to it…_

_My thoughts flickered to five certain people. The last image in my head was the fierce glare Tsukiyomi Ikuto gave me today at the office before I blacked out._

_**X-x-End of Flashback-x-X**_

* * *

**Getting To Know Each Other **

**Normal POV**

One room in particular was lighted by the shine of the moonlight at midnight. The ray of light shone through the huge window that made up the north side of the living room. Seven people were lounging in the colossal living room. One individual, whom was standing, was glaring intently at a small and fragile looking girl with long flowing blonde hair, whom was sitting on a couch.

"Tsukiyomi...no…_Mashiro_ Rima…! What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?!" the azure-haired figure roared. Uh-oh. Using the last names of their former lives isn't the best start to a friendly family conversation.

"Oh, pipe down, will you? I _know_ what I'm doing," the girl named, Rima, hissed. "Did you forget that I can _see_ what will happen? She doesn't have the slightest clue of what we are."

"I don't give a damn if you can _see_!! Just what are you planning in your carefree head of yours?! You _touched_ her and you _know_ we're not like any other human. She is a _human_. We're dangerous to her. Get it straight," he ranted in rage.

'_Why don't you stop spazzing out, you freak? You're not usually like this,' _Rima thought bitterly.

"Well, ex_cuse_ me for being a freak," Ikuto spat, as if he knew what Rima had thought.

"Ikuto, calm down. I'm sure Rima knows fully well what she is doing," a person defended. He had the same hair color as Ikuto, only darker and a bit neater. He seemed to be about in his mid-thirties. Like Ikuto, he was unbelievably gorgeous.

Rima smirked towards Ikuto. "Ha. See? Aruto even agrees with me."

"That doesn't mean what you're doing is safe. You know the consequences if she finds about our secret," he scolded and warned.

She sighed. "I know. She seemed like a person I could finally talk to without being weird. All the people stay away from us." She faked a cute and sad expression on her face. "Besides," she looked towards Ikuto. "aren't _you_ interested in her? She's the one person who is invulnerable to your ability."

He looked away from her. "That has nothing to do with this conversation."

"Yes it does. We're talking about her," she argued.

"Hmm…? A little girl is stronger than Ikuto?" An orange-brown haired teen seemed amused. With the moonlight shining down on him, his muscles were clear as day. His body was sprawled across the long couch.

"Shut the hell up, Kukai. You're not helping a bit," Ikuto hissed.

"Watch your language, Ikuto. I don't get why you and Rima are having a conversation about a defenseless girl," a blonde said in a nonchalant tone. Her smooth, long hair was tied up in high pigtails with piercing amethyst eyes.

"She—Ikuto pointed towards Rima—was being stupid as to make contact with a human." He boiled up with anger but it soon calmed down miraculously.

"Stop it, Nagihiko!" Ikuto seethed.

"Sorry." A man with long silky purple hair, who was standing in a corner of the room, magically appeared sitting on top of the armrest of Rima's couch in a split second. His honey brown eyes were alluring. "This is getting way out of hand."

"Nagihiko's right," Rima agreed.

"Ikuto," a woman soothed. _(A/N: I'm trying my best here with the descriptions of Ikuto's mother! I hope that they show her face soon in the anime ^^ I'm using the manga pictures from chapter 32 but I don't know which is Tadase's mother and which is Ikuto's mother! Do you think her mom has blonde hair because Utau is blonde? But I'm going to use Souko with brown hair ^^) _Her smooth lengthy brown hair shimmered in the moonlight. "I understand that you don't want to endanger us or the girl if she is involved but what is wrong with talking to her? I know Rima, you, and everyone else can keep our secret. So please stop this fighting," she ended with authority.

"Thank you very much, Souko," Aruto said.

Ikuto was gone and if you look up, he was at the top of the stairs in a blink of an eye. "I'm still mad at you, Rima." And he was gone.

Souko sighed. "I hate it when you guys get into fights."

Meanwhile, Ikuto indulged himself in his own violin compositions. His stereo player hummed his songs quietly while Ikuto thought for a little longer. He was sitting on his black leather couch with his face buried in his palms in his _huge_ room. _That's it,_ he thought.

The door burst open showing Rima with a sad expression on her face. "You're leaving?"

He gave her a curt nod.

"How long?" she asked, her expression still solemn.

"I don't know."

"I'm so sorry, Ikuto. I didn't realize that her scent to you is stronger than it is to us. I should've seen that coming."

You could see Ikuto's face glow. His lips curved up into a smirk. "Hmm? I never thought you would say sorry so easily."

"Shut up. I was wrong and I know it," Rima said bluntly and emotionless, but then turned pleadingly. "Please don't leave."

His face fell. "Sorry, but I don't want to endanger us all."

"At least tell Souko and Aruto first. You know how sad they get when you leave; especially Souko."

"Ok."

With his sensitive hearing, he heard her whisper, 'bye'. Ikuto smiled. "Thank you…Rima." And he disappeared in the darkness. Even the moon couldn't find him.

* * *

**Amu's POV**

My eyes flickered open. I sat up and groaned. I barely got enough sleep last night with the pitter-patter of the rain and _his_ eyes…

I shook my head to get those thoughts out of my head and hoped out of the bed. I got dressed and went downstairs.

Tsumugu was already gone by the time I came down. He's probably working really hard at the police station… I should find a part-time job too to help.

* * *

Daichi walked faithfully at my side to homeroom. He chattered on and on about sports and about the trip to the beach in two weeks.

When we arrived, he sat at his assigned spot. I sat down at the empty table. It seems he isn't here yet. Rima was sitting in front of me though. Is Tsukiyomi-san sick or something?

I remained in thought about what his actions from yesterday meant.

Why was Tsukiyomi-san leaning away from me as far as possible? Did I do something to him to make him avoid me? Why did he want to change classes that bad? What did I ever do to make him hate me? And why were Rima's hands icy cold? Mine are cold as well but hers were much, much colder. And I don't know why but the story about them I heard from yesterday sounds fishy…

I was able to rat out more information of Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia. Apparently, Rima and Nagihiko-kun are dating and so are Kukai-kun and Utau-san. They moved here from America when they were freshmen. _(A/N: I don't think I said this but all of the characters are juniors in their high school.) _

"How are you today, Amu?"

I came back to reality and noticed Rima looking at me with her curious dark golden eyes.

"Fine. How about you Rima?"

"The same as well. How do you like this school?"

"…it's ok."

_Silence…_

I searched through some topics to start a conversation. Rima looked at me with expecting eyes.

"I heard from yesterday that you were a fashion designer," I blurted out. Ah, crap. I sound like an obsessive shopaholic and hoping to get some discounts.

"That's right," she said coolly. "Do you want to try on some of my clothes?"

"N-No, that's ok. I'm good. Shopping isn't in my best interest."

"Then what is?"

I was glad she changed the topic.

"I like to play the piano and listen to music. I also like to sing."

"Hmm…? You play the piano?"

I nodded.

"For how long?"

"I've been playing it since I was 6."

"And how old are you…?" she asked.

"16. Soon to be 17 though."

"When is your birthday?"

"September 24th. How about yours?"

"That's in three weeks… Mine's February 6th."

"That's in a few months."

"Yep."

That conversation must've been boring to Rima. I sighed as quietly as possible, barely exhaling any air.

"What do you like to do in your spare time? Besides designing your clothes that is."

"Watching comedy shows." She smiled brightly.

"Eh? You like comedies?"

She nodded. "I love them."

"Wow, I didn't know that."

Our conversation turned more interesting as time went on. I learned many things about her. She suggested that I joined the orchestra here at school and I said I'll think about it. I didn't have a piano at Tsumugu's house so why bother? I won't be able to practice, anyways. They have 3 practices a week in the mornings: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. She also said I could visit her house but do it a few weeks later because her house is being renovated. She asked me if she could come over to my house but I said it's so boring and that there's nothing to see. She eventually begged to come over so I decided she could come this weekend. If my dad lets me._ (A/N: It's Tuesday by the way.)_

Homeroom soon started. Nikaidou-sensei called for our attention.

I noticed something else.

Tsukiyomi Ikuto never came.

* * *

"Amu-chan!"

"Hmm?"

"You seem spaced out lately. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Ran. But thanks for asking."

"Ok." Ran shrugged and popped a chicken popper in her mouth. This lunch was the same as yesterday. Miki was drawing while eating; Dia was writing something (probably some lyrics) while eating a pretzel; Daichi was talking with Kairi; Yoru was eating some fish-shaped crackers; Su was smiling and eating her home cooking; Saaya was applying lipstick and eye shadow with no food in front of her. I wonder why she sits at this table…she should sit with the popular people over _there_.

The only thing that's changed is that there's one less person in this room and only four people at a particular table. I sighed and took a bite from my pizza.

* * *

"So dad…"

"What is it, Amu-chan?" he asked as he took a sip from the stew I made. Tsumugu just came home and sat down to eat the dinner that I made.

"Can I invite a friend over this weekend?"

"Depends on who it is." He took chugged some water down.

"Mashiro Rima."

"Who is she?"

I was a bit shocked. Didn't he know who the Tsukiyomis' were? They _are_ famous and who wouldn't know them in this little town? Or maybe he doesn't know her name before she was adopted. Speaking of which…no one knows their real names. I only know Rima's real name…

"Sorry, I was thinking of another last name. I mean Tsukiyomi Rima."

He choked on his water. I stood up and got a napkin and patted his back. "Are you ok, dad?"

"When did you become friends with Tsukiyomi Rima?"

I calmly sat back down. "The first day I came here. She's the first friend I made here."

"Really?" He gave me a skeptical look. "She's not really the social type. She's nice but she doesn't talk much. I'm surprised she spoke with you."

"I feel offended."

He chuckled. "Yes, you can. But she has to go home before 6 ok? I'll be out fishing on Saturday with Yui."

"Yui who?"

"Hotori Yui. He's the one that gave me your silver pickup truck."

"Oh." I took some meat and ate it. "Have fun then."

"You seriously don't remember?"

"Remember what?" I asked, having no clue at where he was going at.

"He has a son."

"And…" I urged.

"You don't remember playing with him?"

"No…" I racked my brain, trying to remember but couldn't.

"Well," He stood up and put his dishes in the sink. "I guess that's alright. I'm going to watch some TV. Is that ok?"

"Yea. I have to do some homework."

After I finished washing the dishes and drying them, I went upstairs to do some English homework and Bio homework. After that was done, I listened to a song called "Untouched" by The Veronicas on my iPod. _(A/N: Really good song!!) _I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes to the rock violin in the intro and the upbeat tune.

I wonder if Tsukiyomi-san will be here tomorrow…

I sat up, shaking my head. What am I thinking??

* * *

**_Wednesday_**

Still not here…

Rima was delighted to hear that she could come over to my house. We agreed that she will come at 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

**_Thursday_**

Same result…

The thing that's nagging me is why am I thinking about him so much? The only thing I know about him is his name and that he hates me.

I joined orchestra today and the conductor was happy with my talent on the piano. She said I could practice on the piano anytime, since I don't have one at home. Surprisingly, we have a full orchestra. There were many first and second violinists, a few trumpet players, a few clarinet members, five flutists, two oboists, 8 viola players, five cellists, and a few bass players. An orchestra consisting of many players. It's probably the conductor is really nice and pretty.

The thing is that we're ok. We don't have the best sound but I guess it's ok. Daichi plays the trumpet in orchestra and that surprised me because I didn't know a jock would sit down to play an instrument.

**_Friday_**

I sat down in homeroom like my usual routine. I was becoming more used to this school. I don't get lost anymore and I've made a lot of friends. I've also spoke to Kukai and he's a cheery guy. Nagihiko is quiet but nice. Utau has done nothing but ignore me and shoot daggers towards my way. Rima said not to worry and that's her natural personality but I wonder if she's telling the truth or not…

I began to doodle on my notebook, waiting for Nikaidou to come in the classroom. He's always tardy and he always seems to have a case of bedhead.

Rima was doodling—probably some fashion designs—in front of me. I saw her sketches yesterday and they were amazing. They were gorgeous and perfect for teenagers. She offered to give me some of her clothes but I said I was good.

I heard metal scratching against the floor. A chair was being moved next to me. I looked up and my heart stopped completely.

Amethyst eyes stared back into mine. Standing up in front of the side of his chair was the guy that was absent for days.

"Tsukiyomi-san…?"

* * *

**End of Chapter**

**Sorry if this chapter was boring and short -.- I wanted the exciting next chapters so yea xD I hoped you liked this chapter =)**

**Oh, and if you guys like a funny and romantic Cardcaptor Sakura story, check this author: **StarJade. **Her stories are AMAZING. One of my favorites was, "**Mischievous Love", **and I loved it~! ^^ I think her most successful story (I'm saying from the amount of reviews) is **"Jagged Amber". **Anyways…if you want a good laugh, read her stories! xD (Am I even allowed to do this?? O.o) LOL Sorry, readers, I just had to get this out xD**

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	4. Questions, Dress Up, and Ice

**(Started this on March 18, 2009; just doing this to benefit me and some interesting facts about when I type my chapters)**

**I AM SO SORRY FOR ALL MY LATE UPDATES!!! T.T *bows before all my readers* But I've been pretty busy lately so please bear with me. I'm trying as best as I can. But holy crap! It's been almost four months!!! O.O Today, I saw this document and I was like "Holy shit! I have to type this before it hits four months before I last updated!" And I started this on **_**March 18, 2009**_**. Wow, it's been two months since I last touched this document :O**

**But sadly, I lost some of my motivation for this story T.T That's why I'm trying to finish this story and make it the best of the best! :D And I have one idea in mind that I can't wait to type but that'll appear in the later chapters -_-**

**And just to remind you, this story isn't COMPLETELY like Twilight. I may change some vampire traits and add mine own or simply take away some. And I'll probably change some qualities of the people so it's more Shugo Chara like. You'll see ;P Hope that didn't burst your bubble ;P And my idea applies to "not-vampire-original-trait" so yea… But it's Amuto so I think you guys will love it ^^ I hope…**

**And if I made some mistakes about the cell cycle or whatever, I'm sorry. But you know, I haven't even learned interphase, prophase, or something else, so yea :P**

**First off, I would like to thank my awesome reviewers! I'm impressed I got so many O.O Almost 100! :O Hope it's 100 soon ^^:**

xhappily-randomx  
Kurai hi  
rebellious-and-ditzy-bookworm  
nana567  
Aznprid3x3  
White Moon and Black Sun  
Ox-Emo-Stalker-Ox  
appupuppu  
babo123  
Amuto-4eva  
sweettara10  
xJazzix  
x-GlitterEyes-x  
oxCuteKataraox  
rin03  
soethrealis  
Lunamoon12  
-Starry o.0  
Soccerluver04  
LuckyStarWitch  
Innocent007  
vetana  
Star Serenade  
S  
KitKat101  
Luciakimi16  
Kelii-chan  
sakura466  
All I Want For Xmas Is Ikuto  
AmuletFortune  
Ikutoluver  
TohrylovesKyo  
shugo-Raven  
rainbow  
MW  
that is cool  
amutofan5

_End of List_

**I don't really feel like typing my rants so yea…-.-"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara or Twilight in any way. I only own the story.**

_**X-x-Flashback of Chapter 3-x-X**_

_I sat down in homeroom like my usual routine. I was becoming more used to this school. I don't get lost anymore and I've made a lot of friends. I've also spoke to Kukai and he's a cheery guy. Nagihiko is quiet but nice. Utau has done nothing but ignore me and shoot daggers towards my way. Rima said not to worry and that's her natural personality but I wonder if she's telling the truth or not…_

_I began to doodle on my notebook, waiting for Nikaidou to come in the classroom. He's always tardy and he always seems to have a case of bedhead._

_Rima was doodling—probably some fashion designs—in front of me. I saw her sketches yesterday and they were amazing. They were gorgeous and perfect for teenagers. She offered to give me some of her clothes but I said I was good._

_I heard metal scratching against the floor. A chair was being moved next to me. I looked up and my heart stopped completely._

_Amethyst eyes stared back into mine. Standing up in front of the side of his chair was the guy that was absent for days._

"_Tsukiyomi-san…?"_

_**X-x-End of Flashback-x-X**_

* * *

**Questions, Dress Up, and Ice**

**Amu's POV**

"Tsukiyomi-san…?" I whispered, surprised that he is here, in this room, right in front of me.

"Yo."

I practically melted from his gaze and his velvety voice. Tsukiyomi-san sat down next to me and remained quiet.

"Where were you?" I asked, curiously but at the same time, scared.

"Sick," he replied, with a one-word answer.

"Oh," was all I could say. But him getting sick? That seems likely and unlikely at the same time. If he was like Rima, then he would have icy skin too. It would be ironic to have a fever when you look like you have hypothermia. It's possible though since there are dark circles under his eyes—or _were_. Did he get more sleep or something? There's barely any circles under his eyes and his eyes were…amethyst. Last time I remember, there were dark, dark blue. "You look better. You don't really have any more circles under your eyes and your eyes itself seem brighter. Purple instead of blue."

He froze slightly but distractedly responded. "Yea, I do feel a bit better."

"Ne, Amu, it's official that I'm coming at 11 tomorrow right?" Rima asked.

"That's the plan."

"Great." She smiled angelically. I blushed at her smile. Rima looked like a true model by just sitting there. I felt intimidated by her beauty.

Nikaidou-sensei came in and clapped his hands for our class' attention.

He discussed about our grade going on field trip in March. It was a beach in this town actually. There's fancy hotel there too. We were going to be there for 3 nights and 4 days. We would also do other activities as well such as hiking, rope climbing, and all sorts of other stuff. But now that Nikaidou-sensei mentioned it, aren't I going there next Saturday with Daichi and everyone else?

Girls in my class were so excited since there was a beach involved.

"Rima, are you going to go on this trip?"

"Um, I think I'll stay here."

"What?? But why?"

"I don't go well with the sun," she answered with a something in her eyes. It's as if there was a double meaning to that.

"But we get to explore the forest and maybe hike! There's no sun there," I reasoned.

"Maybe…" she said uncertainly. "I'll think about it."

After the bell rang to signal the end of the first period, I gathered my books.

Another weird thing I noticed about Tsukiyomi-san. Two things actually.

One, he didn't leave in a hurry as usual.

Two, he didn't sit on the edge of his seat today.

He acted…normal to me.

* * *

"Are you going to go on the trip, Amu?"

"I'm not sure, Daichi. It's the same one we're going next week, right?"

"Yep." He flashed a smile towards me.

He opened the door for me and I walked into room 307.

Bio wasn't my favorite subject. It bores me. I prefer English more. However, the teacher can actually and that's a plus. Some teachers from my old school can't teach bio at all and it annoyed me. Another good thing is that I have many friends in this period. For instance, Rima. Good thing Suzuki-sensei put me behind her so I won't feel awkward or alone. But he also stuck me next to Tsukiyomi-san. Is that a good or bad thing?

"Hi again."

I turned to my right and saw Tsukiyomi-san facing me with his alluring purple eyes.

"Hey," I greeted back, holding back a blush.

"So how do you Yakushima?" Is he trying to start a conversation? That's a first.

"I like it a lot," I lied.

"I highly doubt that. You're so easy to read." I held back a blush and kept my cool. I didn't expect _that_. And was I really easy to read? I thought my "Cool 'n Spicy" façade did the trick. But I guess it doesn't work with him.

"Is that so?" I coolly asked. He nodded.

Suzuki-sensei then called for our attention. Turns out we were doing a lab today. Our partners were the person we were sitting next to so I guess that means I'm stuck with Tsukiyomi-san. Should I be happy or sad?

The class began to work when we received our necessary equipment. The class was filled with chatter here and there.

We were supposed to identify the many phases of the cell cycle and mitosis under a microscope. Oh joy.

"Why did you move here?" Tsukiyomi-san asked suddenly. I stopped scribbling my answer. I looked up and he was watching me with curiosity and alertness.

"Why does it matter?" I shot back, not in anger but with interest.

"It matters in every way."

"How?" I probed. Now I was super curious as to what he was going to say next. Tsukiyomi-san opened his mouth to speak but unfortunately, Suzuki-sensei came over to our table. Ah, darn it! Couldn't he have come later? I inwardly sighed.

"Hinamori-san? Tsukiyomi-san? I don't mind you talking but please work at the same time."

"We were having a heated discussion on whether or not this is an anaphase or interphase. We couldn't decide which phase it was. I think that it may be an interphase but Amu thought differently." I was surprised at how smoothly he lied. And the way he said my name… It sounded wonderful, coming from his voice.

"Did you check in your books?"

"Yes, but we still do not know."

"Let me take a look."

He looked under the microscope and scanned the cells for about a minute. He lifted his up to answer our "question."

"It's an anaphase. Nice work, Hinamori-san," Suzuki-sensei. I nodded. He left our table and I faced Tsukiyomi-san.

"Hope you don't mind me calling you by my first name," he said. I shook my head.

"You knew all along that it was an anaphase, didn't you?" He smirked. This time, I _did_ blush. Who wouldn't? His face was simply gorgeous and it made my heart melt. "You could've said that you thought it was an anaphase."

"What if I didn't want to?"

"I don't like taking credit from someone else's work."

He smirked. "You're a strange one."

My cheeks flushed. "Well, sorry for being strange." I then went back to work. I heard him chuckle lightly. His laugh sounded like low bells.

Tsukiyomi-san was pretty good at bio. He's not the smartest student but he answered all the questions pretty quickly. After 10 minutes of silence between us, I answered his question from before. He'll probably ask me again and besides, I want to see his reaction.

"I wanted my mom to spend more time with my stepdad. To do that, I am living with my dad here in Yakushima," I muttered, writing the answer to the last question of this lab. I wonder if he heard that though because I spoke inaudibly.

"That's very generous of you." I guess he did hear it. I brought my head up and he had a subtle smile plastered on his face.

"It's natural to do that."

"That may be, but you don't like this town."

I didn't answer.

"You would go that far for your mother?"

"Why are you acting different today?" I asked, trying to avoid the subject with my being here. I didn't want to go in depth with Tsukiyomi-san. After all, I just met him this week and he hates me one day and then the next, he's nice to me! "You're like bipolar or something. You hated me to the extent that you would change classes to avoid me and today, you're all nice! Why?"

"It's because of your effect on me."

"Huh?" Now I'm confused. What effect did I have on him? "Explain please." The bell then rang. Damn, what bad timing!

"See you…Amu." And he was gone.

Tsukiyomi Ikuto is indeed the strangest and most handsome person I have met.

* * *

School was finally over. I strolled through the parking lot and to my truck. I opened the door and got in. I let out a breath of exhaustion. Today was so confusing! I couldn't stop thinking about what Tsukiyomi-san said.

The corners of my mouth lifted. At least it's the weekend tomorrow and Rima is coming over, too.

I turned the ignition on and started to drive. Before I got out of the blacktop, I saw Tsukiyomi-san staring directly at me.

* * *

I woke up at 9:00 sharp. In two hours, Rima would be here at the front door. I got up and did my daily routine. After that, I whipped up some pancakes and munched on them happily. Turns out Tsumugu already left for fishing with Hotori-san.

At 10:00, I tidied up the house to make it look nice.

The doorbell rang at approximately 11:00. I sprang up from the sofa and rushed to the door. I hastily opened it and there was Rima, who was smiling. She was also carrying a bag. I wonder what it's for…

"Hey, Rima."

"Hi, Amu."

I let her in and her graceful walk next to mine made me look like an awkward penguin.

"Your house is very nice."

"Thanks."

"Where's your dad?"

"He's fishing with Hotori Yui."

"Ah, the Hotoris." Her expression turned dark.

"Do you know the Hotoris?"

"Yes, I do."

"Are you friends with them?"

" 'Friends' isn't the word that describes our relationship to them."

I gave her a confused look. Were they enemies? She then smiled.

"Never mind that. Guess what I brought?" She raised the bag she was holding so I could peek in the bag. It was full of clothes and a digital camera lay on top of it all.

"What are the clothes for?"

She grinned. "Up for a game of dress up?"

"What?!" I screamed.

She grinned even higher. "Earlier this week, I asked if you wanted to try on some of my clothes but you said no. Then the company I work at told me to have pictures of a person modeling in my clothes. I instantly thought of you." She grinned even wider. I gaped. "Besides, I want to see how you look in my clothes. I bet you'll look like a supermodel!"

"R-Rima, why not Utau?"

"I didn't ask her yet because I wanted _you_ to be the model for my clothes. Besides, Utau's in a lot of magazines. People need a change once in a while. Please?" She clapped her hands together and made a puppy face. I stepped. I was vulnerable to _this_ face and I _hated_ that I was. I sighed. There's no way I can wiggle out of this situation.

"Fine."

"Thank you so much, Amu!" She pounced on me and hugged me. I laughed and hugged her back.

"What shampoo did you use, Amu? It smells really nice." I pushed Rima back.

"Strawberry."

"I should use that some time."

Rima ordered me to go to the bathroom. She tossed me an outfit and I quickly changed into them. I came out of the door and Rima squealed.

"You look so cute, Amu!"

I blushed. "T-Thanks."

The outfit was simple yet adorable and sexy. I had on a red tube top with a white pleated miniskirt. Black flats adorned my feet and my bangs were pushed back with my red X clip. Rima applied some light makeup and gave me a bracelet with the frame of a heart as the charm. This looks like it was white gold or something. I wonder how much this outfit was…

"Pose for me, Amu! I'm going to take a picture of you."

"E-Eh? But I don't know how to! What pose do you want me to do?"

"It doesn't matter. Any pose is fine. Just have fun and go with the feeling you get from the clothes."

"Ok…" I was unsure of what to do. I did the common pose and that was placing my right hand on my hip while putting my left leg out a bit to the left. Rima snapped a shot and then I did the pose on the opposite side.

"You're doing great, Amu!" I highly doubt that.

The next outfit was a chiffon dress that was a bit revealing. You could see some cleavage but it wasn't like a slut type of clothing. Thank god Tsumugu isn't here. He'd probably have a heart attack from all these "revealing" clothing.

The dress sort of looked like a halter top combined with a skirt. There was an ivory ribbon tied around my waist with a bow on it on my right side. I had on a pair of open-toe black stilettos. This time, I had side bangs with an ivory headband placed on my head. The silver diamonds were dangling from my earrings. This time, the charm on my bracelet was a diamond. I twirled around. The wispy dress swayed with me. I love this dress! It was dark blue—the color of Tsukiyomi-san's eyes when I first met him. I shook head. Why am I thinking of him?

This went on for two hours. I forced Rima to dress up too since it _was_ her clothes and I wanted to see how she would look in them. Some didn't fit since I was bigger than her but Rima managed. She looked like a goddess.

"That was fun." I smiled at Rima. She beamed back.

"It was. And you can have the clothes."

"What?? But I can't! They're yours."

"They're yours now." She shoved the bag to me and I took it from her.

"Thanks a bunch, Rima!"

"No problem. Can we go to your room next?"

"Sure."

We walked up the stairs and I opened the door on my right. We plopped down on my bed and we laid down.

"Your room is really nice."

"Not really. It's just normal." It had pale, pale pink walls with frames on it. My bed had q pink quilt. Nothing special, really. I want to come over to Rima's house but she said they were renovating it. I was upset. I wanted to see how her house and room looked like.

Rima and I had a conversation for about half an hour and then I asked her if she was hungry. She said no, but I was starving. She told me I could fix up something for me to eat.

"Are you sure? You don't have to be shy. Just tell if you want something to eat or not."

"I'm good. I don't eat that much, anyways." A sparkle in my eyes told me that there was a double meaning to her sentence.

We went outside and walked around the neighborhood for a bit. Before I knew it, it was 5:45 p.m.

"I should get going."

"Ok." I frowned. I didn't want this day to end.

"I had a lot of fun. Thanks for letting me come over."

"You're welcome. And thanks for the clothes."

We bid farewell and she left. At 6:15, Tsumugu came home. I made dinner for him and he asked me about Rima. I said that we had fun. Afterwards, I took a shower to refresh myself. I did some homework and snuggled in my warm bed. It was getting cold lately. But good thing there'll be sunshine next weekend.

I dozed off. However, I thought I heard a sound coming from the window in the middle of the night. Must've been my imagination.

* * *

Monday's here and I am not looking forward to it. Outside was all wet and the ground was cover with a thin layer of ice and some snow. Many people of Seiyo High were happy because they were planning for a snowball fight. Whoop dee doo.

I bolted down the stairs and ate some cereal. I was running late today and that's not good. I ran outside and I regretted doing that. I slipped and fell on my bottom and man, did that hurt! I picked myself up and I walked—carefully this time—to my pickup truck. I detected snow chains on my tires. Tsumugu must've attached them to the tires. I smiled. That was really sweet of him.

I arrived at school with 5 minutes to spare. As expected, people were having snowball fights. I ducked, trying not to get hit in the face by one. Once I was well away from the crowd, I let out a sigh of relief.

A screeching noise broke through the chatter. Everyone had horrified expressions on their faces. I turned to my right and a swiveling car was heading towards the crowd. Scratch that, its target is me!

I couldn't move. My feet were glued to the ground. My whole body went numb. Is this what people felt upon seeing a car—or anything—plunging right at them?

It was too late now. The car was approaching me at top speed and I couldn't do anything about it.

A few screams filled the air.

I didn't blink. I couldn't. The car must've been 3 yards from me now. This is it.

I then felt a force push me to my left. I hit my head on something and it was throbbing. But the most surprising thing was that I wasn't a flattened pancake. I was _alive_. Another thing was that I was on top of something soft. I closed my eyes at some point of time so I opened them again.

Violet irises bore into my amber ones.

Tsukiyomi Ikuto just saved my life.

"Ikuto…"

* * *

**End of Chapter**

**Finally finished!!! I'm so happy ^^ And I'm really sorry that it was such a late update T.T The next update will probably be for "With You" or "Save Me" so look out for that! Or maybe it'll be a one-shot I'm typing right now. It's called "Surprises at a Masquerade Ball" but I may change the title. I was inspired by episode 83 and fuyumaiden wanted a fanfic of Rima and Nagihiko dancing so I'm like, why not? But you know, it's turning into a fanfic with Amuto as the main pairing -_- I'll try to put in as much Rimahiko as I can but I'm so used to Amuto.**

**And did you guys notice something? I didn't put any author's notes in the chapter!! :D I read on **xx Gwenno Station**'s profile (check out her stories, it's awesome!) and read her pet peeves. She hates it when people writing notes in the chapters and I'm like "Oops." So I resisted the urge to do that in this chapter XD**

**Also, if you haven't, read the story, "**A Battle with the Hottest Guy**", read it because it's super fantastic! I don't think the story received enough reviews and it really is an excellent story. I highly recommend it. The author is **ayanika1218**. However, the person who wrote the story is her friend. But she posted the story up and replaced the names with the names of the characters of Shugo Chara :D Don't forget to review her story ;) **

**And I finished this right when my playlist of 44 songs ended O.O It took me three hours to type 7 pages??? Man, I'm really slow -_-**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter XD**

**Review? =)**

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	5. Crazy Happenings

**I am on a roll!! :D Yea!! I updated "With You", "Crossing Paths", and another one-shot in…two-three weeks? Yea! :3 But I should seriously finish my reading homework first XD**

**Thank you to these reviewers:**

Amuto-4eva, Soccerluver04, Himeka Tsukiyomi, oxCuteKataraox, Kelii-chan, sylvanicara, sakuita, xhappily-randomx, ShoujoAnimeFanatic13, Foxgrl18, Aznprid3x3, rebellious-and-ditzy-bookworm, Star Serenade, sweettara10, appupuppu, babo123, +Silver rose+, fellowfan miki+yoru

**Not as many as last chapter but I'm happy :D**

**AND CHAPTER 42 WAS THE FREAKIN BEST!!!! Except for the last part T.T NO!! Peach-pit! WHY?! Ikuto better end up with Amu or I'm gonna sue! But if Amu can't be with Ikuto, I'd rather have Amu end up with nobody then her with Tadase.**

**Did you guys see the cover for the second CD collection of Shugo Chara? Ikuto's shirt is open (KYAAAA!!!); Amu, Utau, Nagihiko, and I guess Yua (from episodes 85 and 86) have revealing clothing; Yaya, Rima, and Tadase are like waitresses/waiter ^^ I WANT IT! They say Ikuto's gonna sing in there :D But the voice actor did another song for another series. It's called **"Mission Complete." **It's pretty good ^^**

**Should I put some stories on hiatus so I can focus on one story and complete that and then do another one and complete that and etc.?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara in any way. **

_**X-x-Flashback of Chapter 4-x-X**_

_A screeching noise broke through the chatter. Everyone had horrified expressions on their faces. I turned to my right and a swiveling car was heading towards the crowd. Scratch that, its target is me!_

_I couldn't move. My feet were glued to the ground. My whole body went numb. Is this what people felt upon seeing a car—or anything—plunging right at them?_

_It was too late now. The car was approaching me at top speed and I couldn't do anything about it._

_A few screams filled the air._

_I didn't blink. I couldn't. The car must've been 3 yards from me now. This is it._

_I then felt a force push me to my left. I hit my head on something and it was throbbing. But the most surprising thing was that I wasn't a flattened pancake. I was __**alive**__. Another thing was that I was on top of something soft. I closed my eyes at some point of time so I opened them again._

_Violet irises bore into my amber ones._

_Tsukiyomi Ikuto just saved my life._

"_Ikuto…"_

_**X-x-End of Flashback-x-X**_

* * *

**Crazy Happenings**

**Normal POV**

"Souko, I'm home!"

"Welcome back, Rima-chan. How was your day with Amu-chan?"

"Great. And I managed to take pictures of Amu in the clothes I designed."

"Really? Let me see, dear."

"Here."

It took Rima less than a minute to reach her house from Amu's house. The speed and agility comes in handy sometimes.

Rima tossed the camera to her foster mother and she caught it in a flash. Souko examined the many photos in the camera.

"Rima-chan, you're adorable!"

Nagihiko materialized right beside Souko. "Let me see." Souko giggled and handed it to him. "Rima-chan, you are cute." Nagihiko hugged Rima and rumpled her hair.

"Mou, yamete, Nagihiko. My hair is getting messed up!"

Nagihiko grinned. He handed the camera back to Souko.

"Is this Amu-chan?" Rima nodded. "Kawaii!" Souko exclaimed. "You found a cute friend, Rima-chan."

"Kawaii? What did you two _do_ at her house?" a masculine voice asked nonchalantly. The camera was whipped out of Souko's hand and into a blue-haired boy's hands. "Hmm? Dressing up, Rima? Aren't you a bit _old_ for that?" he questioned and yes, there was a double meaning to that.

"Shut it. You're never too _old_, Ikuto. And I need these photos for the company. I think I may ask them for Amu to be my personal model."

"I think that'd be great, Rima-chan."

"Me too, Souko. Now, Ikuto, hand it over."

"No," he stubbornly refused. And he disappeared along with the camera.

"I can give you a copy of all those pictures of Amu if you would model my clothes!" she unnecessarily shouted. Rima's secretary met Ikuto once when he gave Rima some papers she left at home one night and she immediately fell in love with him. Well, his well shaped body, that is. He'd be perfect for Rima's clothing. Nagihiko agreed but the company thought that Ikuto might attract more fans and attention. Ikuto was steadfast in his decision and that was no.

"Fine," Ikuto muttered from upstairs in his room. Rima smirked in victory while Nagihiko and Souko sweatdropped.

"Ne, Rima-chan, does Ikuto-kun like Amu-chan?"

"Um, maybe. He's just drawn to her. But I think he's head over heels for Amu."

Something then zoomed down the staircase and straight towards Rima. Rima caught it swiftly with a blur of her hand and held the object. It was the camera and a sticky note was stuck to it and it read:

_I'm not in love with her, shorty._

"Yea, you just say that but admit it. You _do_ like her. And damn it, Ikuto, stop calling me short!" Rima needlessly yelled again. She didn't get an answer. "And you'll get your pictures soon," she added. "But remember that you have to model for my clothes later! The photo shoot will most likely be in a few days."

Ikuto made a grunting noise and silence followed.

Rima grinned in triumph. "I love doing this."

* * *

'_Curse, Rima. I'm going to get back at her one day,' _Ikuto thought as he drove the car that held his other four siblings. Rima has convinced—more like threatened—Ikuto to come to her company and tell the great—horrible in Ikuto's case—news to her fellow co-workers.

He parked his car and opened the door. A snowball fight was going on at the moment and Ikuto stared at it with a plain face.

"That looks like fun!"

"Why don't you join, Souma-kun?" Souma. The last name of Kukai before it changed to Tsukiyomi.

"Nah. It's alright, Fujisaki." Nagihiko's last name before it was changed to Tsukiyomi. "I prefer this…" With lightning speed, he picked up a pile of snow and threw it at Ikuto's direction. Ikuto dodged it with ease and the snowball made contact with a sign, bending it back a little from the force.

Ikuto smirked.

"Tsukiyomi, stop reading my mind!"

"It's not my fault. I can't help it. And all I heard in your mind was, 'Target is distracted right now. Must land a snowball on his head!'"

"Tch, nothing gets past you, eh?"

Ikuto grinned. "Nope."

They all laughed but Rima stopped short.

"Rima-chan, what's wrong?" Nagihiko asked worriedly.

Ikuto gasped as he read Rima's mind.

"Oh shit!" Ikuto whispered loudly.

"Spit it out, Tsukiyomi! Mashiro, what the hell is going to happen?" Everyone knew something was wrong. They just didn't know what Rima saw in her vision.

"Amu, she…!"

The five heard an earsplitting screech from tires.

"Damn it all to hell!" Ikuto yelled furiously. He whirled his head around and found Amu across the parking lot.

"Ikuto!" Rima yelled but it was too late. Ikuto had already raced towards Amu.

"What the hell does he think he's _doing_?" Utau questioned with disbelief.

So here's how it looks like. The crowd is off the left of the parking lot and Amu is basically almost right smack in the center. Ikuto parked his car to the right of the parking lot and he was about ten to fifteen yards away. The car was spinning around from the top left and advancing towards the center, which is where Amu is standing.

Ikuto rushed to Amu in a blink of an eye and pushed her away from danger. Ikuto hugged Amu to his chest and the two landed on the ground with Ikuto to the cement and Amu on top of him. But before getting into this position, Amu bumped her head against the ground.

'_How in the world am I going to explain this to Amu?'_

**Amu's POV**

"Ikuto…"

I was shocked beyond words. How did he get over here so fast? Well, I didn't exactly _know_ where he was but I know he wasn't near me. At _least_ five yards away from me. I didn't see him up until now.

My head was spinning. It was either from the pain or the confusion. One, how did he save me when he was somewhere far away? Two, _why_ did he save me? Three, how did he save us both in less than a second? That is _not_ possible. And four, why do I feel so safe and warm in his arms?

I looked up and saw that the van was still moving. In our direction.

Ikuto—I think after saying it once, it's stuck in my brain—noticed in an instant and rolled us over and over at a high speed. When we were well out of the hazard zone, he stopped with him slightly on top of me. I blushed at our closeness. I looked to the side and saw that the van had stopped in front of the Tsukiyomis.

Then the screams commenced.

"Are you ok?!" "Call the ambulance and get a teacher!" "Who's in the car?? Somebody go check!" "What the hell is going on?!" "Oh my gosh, it's Yamamoto Yoru from my English class!" "Someone get him out!!" "Hinamori-san, Tsukiyomi-san, are both of you alright??"

But I heard one voice that stood out in the midst of the chaos.

"Amu? Are you ok?" Ikuto's face couldn't be more than a mere inch away from my face! I turned my head away and felt the throbbing pain in my head. I rubbed the back of it and groaned.

"Ow."

He lightly chuckled. "That's what I thought."

"What the—how the heck did you get over here so fast?"

"Amu, what are you talking about? I was standing right next to you."

"No, you weren't. You were standing with Rima and everyone else." I looked towards the Tsukiyomis and found many people in front of the car and getting Yoru out. The family seemed fine with no scratches whatsoever. But how is that possible? The car was still at top speed when it was racing past me.

"Amu, you hit your head too hard. You might have forgotten. I was—" He was such a good liar. Any person would have believed him but I'm not just any person.

"Stop lying!" I snapped. "I know what I saw and I'm not going to believe you."

He sighed, frustrated. "Can't you just forget about this?"

"No."

"Please, Amu," he pleaded.

I was about to say something when the paramedics came. I obstinately refused my stretcher but stupid Ikuto had to say I hit my head and might have damaged my skull. So that's why I'm on a stretcher in the ambulance while Ikuto is sitting casually on the chair in front of me in the ambulance. I growled silently. This is so unfair!

* * *

Here I am, lying on the hospital bed with Yoru harassing me with apologies next to me on his own bed.

"Amu, I'm really sorry, nya! I'll make it up to you!"

"Yoru, it's fine. You don't have to say sorry. I know you mean it. Just calm down and relax." But that didn't stop him. He went on and on that I tuned out of his cries.

"Is she asleep?"

My eyes popped open at the sound of Ikuto's voice. He came and sat on the edge of my bed, facing Yoru who was on my left.

"Ikuto, I'm really sorry nya."

"That's alright. Nobody was severely injured—well, besides you of course—so all is well."

"What happened to the rest of your family, Ikuto?"

"Hmm? So you decide to call me by my first name?" He smirked.

I blushed. "You call me Amu so I have the right to right?"

He laughed quietly. "My family's fine. Why wouldn't they be?"

I was about to answer him when the doctor came in with looks that beat the most handsome movie star. He resembled Ikuto a lot in looks but the doctor kept his hair neat.

"Hinamori Amu-san?"

"Hai."

"The x-rays we took of your head seem fine." Earlier, I took x-rays to check my skull and I was right. My head was perfectly fine. The doctor walked towards me and gently placed his fingers on my head. I winced at his touch. His fingers were so cold.

"Does it still hurt?"

"No."

"If it begins to throb, take pain killers. If it gets worse, come to me and I'll give you a subscription for medicine to heal it."

"Thank you, doctor…"

"Tsukiyomi Aruto. Just call me Aruto."

"Arigatou, Aruto-san. Do I need anything else?"

"Nope. You are free to go. But I must say, you were very lucky."

"I guess. Lucky Ikuto happened to be standing right next to me or I wouldn't have survived."

He cleared his throat. "Why, yes." He turned to Yoru. "Now it's a different story for you, I'm afraid…"

I stood up and whispered to Ikuto, "Can we talk?"

He nodded and he led me to a hallway of the hospital where nobody was passing through. He turned around.

"What do you want to talk about?"

I stepped back at his hostility. But then I regained my stance and tried to make myself taller.

"I better be lying for a good reason."

"Amu—"

"Don't 'Amu' me. I saw what happened."

"Fine, tell me what happened."

I took a deep breath and told my story. "I was standing away from the snowball fight when the car was spinning at me. I know you were far away from me because I don't remember seeing you anywhere near me. The next thing I know, I'm pushed to the side and I was on top of you. I looked to my right and saw that the car stopped right in front of the rest of your family. Your family was unharmed and I don't know why the heck that is. Though I _am_ glad they weren't harmed. When I was moved in the ambulance, I took a peripheral glance and I saw a _dent_ in the side of the car where it was facing your family." Now that I say it out loud, the story sounds absurd. No one was going to believe me.

His eyes widened. For a moment, I thought my story was true. But then he said incredulously, "You think I pushed you away when I was at least 5 yards away from you and that one of my family members made a dent in the car?"

I stiffly nodded.

"No one is going to believe that."

"I know."

"Then _why_?"

I took a step towards him. "Because I hate lying. I don't lie without a good reason."

"Can't you just thank me and forget about this?"

"Thank you," I said, without a hint of appreciation.

"You're welcome," he answered in the same tone. And he walked away.

Before he disappeared from my sight, I said, "I'm not going to forget about this."

* * *

Tsumugu was worried sick. And he, of course, passed the big news to my mother. I had to say "I'm fine" at least thirty times before she believed me.

When I told the people at my school that Ikuto pushed me out of the way, everybody said that they didn't see Ikuto beside me. So ha! I _wasn't _hallucinating. But I knew my classmates weren't going to believe my story.

I asked Rima why there was a dent in the car and she simply said that it bumped into another car before stopping in front of them. I didn't believe that.

When I arrived in homeroom, I found Ikuto sitting in his chair right beside me.

"Hi, Ikuto."

He gave a curt nod and that was the end of any verbal contact between us.

Daichi was pleased at this. He thought we might have become closer since Ikuto was my hero but it had the opposite effect.

Saturday came and it was the day of the trip with Daichi and everyone else. During the week, we decided on a meeting place and that would be at Daichi's parents' store. They sell mostly equipment for sports and camping. Maybe I could get a job here…

We were split into two groups since there were two cars. I was with Daichi, Ran, Su, Saaya, and two other girls whose names I have forgotten. They follow Saaya a lot though. The other group was Yoru (he still has bandages covering some parts of his face and arms but he miraculously avoided any broken bones), Miki, Dia, Kairi, and two other girls that also follow Saaya. That makes 13 people.

We arrived at the beach and the sight was breathtaking. The sun (yes, it was sunny as Daichi had said) was shining down on the blue-green water, making it glisten. The sand went through my toes as I walked towards the water and there was also a cliff nearby.

I plopped down on the towel under an umbrella Saaya had brought.

"Amu-chan, aren't you going to swim?" I looked up to see Daichi in his green swimming trunks. I peered at the water and found the girls having bathing suits on. Saaya had on the most revealing one. I just wore white shorts and a pink tank top and I brought a sweatshirt in case I got cold.

"Nah, I didn't bring a swimsuit and it's not really my thing."

"But you can't just _sit_ here. Isn't it boring?"

I shook my head. "No, not at all."

"How about this. We can have a game of beach ball later." I'm not that bad at this sport, actually. If I be extra careful, I might not hit anybody.

"Ok. Hey, I'm planning to walk around the beach. I saw a forest nearby and I thought I might look at the scenery a little."

"Ok. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, it's ok. I'm sure it'll be more fun for you if you swim."

"Alright, Amu-chan. If anything happens, scream and we'll come for you."

"Thanks, Daichi."

I stood up and dusted some sand from my clothes. I began to circle the beach and then I wind up in the forest. The trees were truly beautiful here. Some of the ground was still wet from yesterday's rain. I heard the birds chirping and the woodpeckers. I closed my eyes and began singing to myself since no one was near me.

_We were both young when I first saw you  
I close my eyes and the flashback starts  
I'm standing there  
On the balcony in summer air_

_See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns  
See you make your way through the crowd  
And say hello  
Little did I know_

My voice turned louder as the song progressed. I walked trees and began to spin around like a little girl.

_That you were Romeo  
You were throwing pebbles  
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet  
And I was crying on the staircase  
Begging you please don't go and I said_

_Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone  
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run  
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess  
It's a love story baby just say yes_

I love this song.

_I got tired of waiting  
Wondering if you were ever coming around  
My faith in you is fading  
When I met you on the outskirts of town and I said_

_Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone  
I keep waiting for you but you never come  
Is this in my head?  
I don't know what to think  
He knelts to the ground  
And pulled out a ring _

_And said, marry me Juliet  
You'll never have to be alone  
I love you and that's all I really know  
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress  
It's a love story baby just say yes_

_Oh, oh, oh, oh_  
'_Cause we were both young when I first saw you_

I'll never get tired of hearing this song. I wished my fairytale would happen that way…

"That was beautiful."

I took an intake of breath and spun around. It appears I wasn't alone. There were two people standing five yards away from me. A boy with shining blonde hair and a girl with auburn hair in pigtails.

"Wow! I wish I could sing like you!" The girl practically hopped to me and started bouncing up and down in front of me, holding both of my hands in her two hands.

"Ne, ne, what's your name? Do you live around here? Did you take singing lessons? Are you planning on being an artist?" So many questions. This girl's energy beats Daichi's and all my other friends combined.

"Yuiki-san, it's best if you calm down. I think you're scaring her."

She stopped jumping and gave me an apologetic smile. "Heh heh, gomen."

"It's ok. I'm Hinamori Amu. And yea, I live in the next town over. And no, I just sing for fun."

"You're a natural, Amu-chi!" Amu…chi? "I'm Yuiki Yaya! But call me Yaya!"

"I'm Hotori Tadase."

Hotori…isn't that my dad's friend's last name?

"Ne, Amu-chi, where is all your other friends?"

"Um, in the water swimming."

"Can we join??" she gave me her sparkly puppy eyes.

"U-Um, sure."

"Yay!" She jumped up and down in excitement.

Oh, boy. I met two new people today. One of them is hyper to the max and she's pretty cute. The other is a prince-like boy who is very polite.

I wonder what my friends will say when they see these two.

* * *

**Japanese Translations:**

Mou – it's a way of saying "hey," in an annoying/frustrating tone but it could be used with other tone of voices

Yamete – stop it

Ne – means "hey" when you are trying to get their attention of something

Hai – yes

Gomen - sorry

**Song used: **

Love Story – Taylor Swift (I do not own the song in any way)

***dies* I've been having stomach cramps for the past week and it hurts like **_**hell**_**. But I forced myself to finish this chapter and I rushed the ending -.-**

**I updated my profile and I have some statuses of the stories so far so if you're wondering what I'm working on at the moment of how many chapters in the story, check there. Though the number of chapters in a story is tentative because I don't plan out my stories xP I'm unorganized. I should be working on "Save Me" next.**

**And please read **"Masquerade Ball"**. It's a one-shot I made and I worked really hard on it but I didn't receive as many reviews as my other one-shots. I would really appreciate if you read the one-shot and give me some feedback.**

**Please R&R!! And you'll get faster updates for this story and my other stories ^^ Remember, reviews fuel an author's energy.**


	6. Discovery

**WAIT!!!! THIS IS NOT AN AUTHOR'S NOTE CHAPTER!! Well, it kinda is. But, READ READ READ if you haven't already for "Crossing Paths" or "Drunk" or on my other stories.**

**Now you might be wondering, "Why the hell did she update three of her stories in one day? She doesn't update that often but she updated three?!" Um, I have an explanation for that. XD August 7****th**** was the day of being an author for a year :D Woo!! XD Because of this, I decided to update all my stories and a one-shot. But my updates were delayed because I had to finish my book, "Gone With The Wind." (Which was quite good.) and I had to hurry since it was overdue on the 3****rd**** XD So here were my presents for me and you readers. But it's like almost a month late because I unintentionally took my break before finishing my updates O.o My bad. So think of these as updates before I put it on hold.**

**Present for you: updates on all stories and a one-shot**

**Present for me: a break from Fanfiction**

**That's right. A break. I already had one but I think I need another one. I'm tired and I have a full explanation in my rant section on my profile. Please read it. But here's a sentence from it: **_**Fanfiction has taken a toll on me**_**. Hope you read my explanation and vote for a random poll I thought of XD "Who's the **_**real**_** pervert?" "Amu or Ikuto?" Vote if you want~ I personally think Amu is in some ways XD But Ikuto is too in some other ways~**

**Oh, and I'm putting my stories on hold except for "Crossing Paths." I really want to finish that before continuing. I even have part of the ending typed out!! 0o0 I'll probably work on "Unexpected Love" next because "Twilight" is getting a bit old. **

**Thank you to these reviewers:**

Soccerluver04, AMUTO4EVA0, Himeka Tsukiyomi, Aznprid3x3, Mew Mew Kazusa, xhappily-randomx, ShugoCharaLuvr, Innocence and Instinct, HarunaNiwa073, sylvanicara, babo123, oxCuteKataraox, Snowflakes01274

** Only thirteen…that's the least amount of reviews I've ever gotten for this story… :( Well, I was kinda planning to delete this story because Twilight is like…old right now but I have this suspenseful (I hope) Amuto part coming up that wasn't in the original Twilight :3 look forward to it! It should be in 2 or 3 chapters.**

**Ok, enjoy this chapter ^-^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way. It rightfully belongs to Peach-pit.**

_**X-x-Flashback-x-X**_

"_You're a natural, Amu-chi!" Amu…chi? "I'm Yuiki Yaya! But call me Yaya!"_

"_I'm Hotori Tadase."_

_Hotori…isn't that my dad's friend's last name?_

"_Ne, Amu-chi, where is all your other friends?"_

"_Um, in the water swimming."_

"_Can we join??" she gave me her sparkly puppy eyes._

"_U-Um, sure."_

"_Yay!" She jumped up and down in excitement._

_Oh, boy. I met two new people today. One of them is hyper to the max and she's pretty cute. The other is a prince-like boy who is very polite._

_I wonder what my friends will say when they see these two._

_**X-x-End of Flashback-x-X**_

**X-x-X**

**Discovery**

_Japanese Translations are at the bottom. If there are any mistakes in the translations or Japanese words, please tell me in your review._

**Amu's POV**

"Hotori-kun, does your father know my dad, Hinamori Tsumugu?

"Yes, he does. They're like best friends. And do you remember when we played when we were little, Hinamori-san?"

"Just call me Amu, Hotori-kun."

"Alright, Amu-chan. Call me Tadase."

"Ok. And I don't really remember playing with you when we were little. Sorry, Tadase-kun."

"Hmm? What's this? Tadase and Amu-chi knew each other when they were kids?" Tadase-kun and I nodded.

We, meaning Yaya, Tadase-kun, and I, were walking through the forest and to somewhere. I'm not sure where. Before we met up with my friends, Yaya offered to introduce me to her and Tadase-kun's friends.

We were now walking through the silent streets of this small town, passing small houses. We stopped at the end of the street and Yaya opened the door. We stepped into the house.

"This is where I live," Yaya announced. "And here are my friends! Minna, this is Amu-chi!"

I bowed and said, "Hinamori Amu."

I stared in awe at the group in the living room. There were eight people; three guys, five girls.

"I'm Pepe! Yaya-chan's little sister." The girl was in a pink tee, white shorts, and flip flops. She had the same color hair as Yaya and her eyes were periwinkle.

"My name is Musashi." He looks surprisingly like Kairi. They both have green hair but Musashi has purple-gray eyes instead of light blue like Kairi's. He was wearing samurai clothing…but isn't he hot in those clothes?

"I'm Kiseki, commoner!" What? He had light purple hair with blue eyes. He resembles Tadase-kun very much. He was in jeans and a white collar shirt.

"That's Tadase's younger brother. He wants to rule the world someday," Yaya whispered to me, snickering at the end.

"Yo, Amu-chan! I'm Rhythm!" I liked this guy. He seemed really friendly enough. He had long purple locks (like Nagihiko's) and blue-purple orbs. He had on jeans, a pale blue shirt, a dark blue vest over the shirt, and a snow hat (I think but why wear it when it's not that cold outside?), and headphones around his neck to complete the look (or is he going to listen to music later?).

"Hello, Amu-chan. I am Temari. Rhythm's twin sister." Wow, this girl is super polite and pretty! She had the same color hair as Rhythm and same eye color as her long tresses that was in a high ponytail with two flowers on it as decoration. Her attire was a light pink kimono with flowers at the hems. (I never knew teenagers at this time of day would still wear kimonos as a daily outfit…)

"Hi, Amu! I'm Kusukusu!" And then she laughed this unique giggle. It's cute. And so was this girl. She had long golden hair with light orange eyes. She had on a dark orange polka dotted T-shirt and white capris.

"I'm Eru~" She had blonde hair and are her eyes closed?? She had on a pale pink dress that reached her knees. "And my twin sister, Iru~"

"Hey." The girl named Iru had short byzantium colored hair with red eyes. _(A/N: Yes, byzantium is a color!)_ She had on a black halter top and a black miniskirt with some black pumps. Although their appearances are different, you can tell Eru and Iru are twins. Well, fraternal. And for some reason, I don't think Iru likes me very much from the cold stare she's giving me.

_(A/N: Tell me if I forgot anyone!)_

"We're heading down to the beach to meet Amu-chi's tomodachis! And you guys are all going!"

"No, thanks. I'll pass."

"Heeh~? Iru-tan, you have to go!"

"I refuse."

"She's going alright. Come on, minna, let's go!"

"Rhythm!" Iru glared at the purple-haired boy.

**X-x-X**

"Amu-chan, who are they?"

I used my right hand to scratch the back of my head in embarrassment. "I picked up some friends along the way and they wanted to meet you guys. I hope you don't mind."

"_Some_ here are your friends." I heard Iru murmur. I sweatdropped. Now I'm positive she doesn't like me that much. But I wonder why…did I do something wrong? I don't recall saying or doing anything to offend her.

"I don't mind." Daichi grinned at me. "The more the merrier."

"Great! Sorry to barge in like this! I'm Yuiki Yaya! But Yaya is fine," Yaya introduced, slinging an arm around my neck. Everyone introduced themselves and my friends introduced themselves to my new friends.

After that, most of us went swimming. Some were playing beach ball while I just walked around the beach and talked with Tadase-kun. It may be just me, but Daichi seems to be frowning the whole time I saw him.

There was this one time that I tripped on a rock and almost fell if I hadn't shot my hand out to support me and for Tadase-kun's grip on me.

Pretty soon, it turned dark. 7:30 to be exact.

"Let's have a bonfire!" Yaya cheered. We all agreed and Rhythm and Musashi helped Daichi start it.

"I brought some marshmallows from my house!" Pepe proved her point by holding up three bags of big, white marshmallows. Temari brought quite a few bars of Hershey chocolate (Yaya had stars in her eyes when she saw the amount of chocolate), and Eru and Iru brought the crackers. Musashi collected some sticks for us to use to hold the marshmallows up. Kiseki—although reluctantly—got some beach towels for us to sit on.

23 people crowded around the blazing fire. We all made our s'mores (Yaya ate that and a whole chocolate bar) and chatted.

"Hinamori-san, you seem so…intimate with Hotori-kun," Saaya said. Is it just me or did she sound a bit jealous? I thought she liked Daichi…

"Oh, that's because Amu-chan and I knew each other since we were little."

"Oh, I see…" I do not like where this conversation is going. "Are you two dating?"

Blood boiled under my cheeks. "N-No." I looked to my right and saw that Tadase-kun was blushing a little as well. I glanced up and saw that Daichi had a small smile on his face. Why is that?

"I see. That's too bad," she said, without any sympathy in her voice. "Hinamori-san, it's a shame the Tsukiyomis couldn't come, don't you think? Didn't you invite them, Daichi?"

Before he could answer, Kiseki responded, "You mean Tsukiyomi Aruto's family?"

Saaya looked a bit irritated but nodded. "You know the Tsukiyomis?"

"The Tsukiyomis don't come here." Kiseki seems a bit touchy about the subject. I wonder why at the mention of the name "Tsukiyomi". Kiseki blew on his half-burnt marshmallow rather angrily. Does he not like that family? But from the tone of his voice, it's more like they're _prohibited_ from entering this town. I wonder why…

"Let's tell some scary stories!" Ran suggested, breaking up the current atmosphere.

"Why can't we just sit and talk?" Miki said, with a bored look on her face.

"No way! Story telling is much better!"

"You should just let your sister have her way, Miki, nya. It'll make things easier for you."

Miki blushed and crossed her arms. "Fine. Ran, you win."

Ran grinned. "So there's this girl in this town—in our town actually—and she went over to the city to shop. On her way, she met an extremely handsome man. His skin was really pale, almost white, and when she held hands with him, they were ice cold. His eyes were suspiciously red. They spent the day together until it turned dark. When the guy offered to escort her to her car, she agreed. After walking for 15-20 minutes, the girl was beginning to worry. She said, "Um, are we possibly going in the wrong direction? I believe my car was only 5-10 minutes away." He had on a breathtaking smile and said, "Of course not. This is just a longer route so I can spend more time with you." The girl automatically blushed. He then led her to an alleyway. The girl was starting to become scared. The man then brought his mouth to her neck and said quietly, "More time so I can taste you longer." And he bit into her neck. Like the vampire he was. No one heard from the girl again. And if you happened to be walking around that area, it was rumored that the ghost of the girl would haunt you and tell you to hide and the same man would appear."

"…"

"So, what did you think?"

"I've heard that story before."

"Eh? You did, Miki?"

"You told me just last night."

"Oh, whoops."

"This is boring." Iru stood up and left.

"Iru, matte!" Eru chased after her.

"Yaya and Pepe-chan will tell an even better one!" Yaya exclaimed, standing up. But I was not in the mood to listen. Tadase-kun must've sensed this because he asked if I wanted to go somewhere for a little.

We came to a tree and sat down. From this view, you could see the high cliffs, the beach, and the shoreline. Tadase-kun claims that this is his favorite tree and he founds it relaxing here.

But right now, my mind is full of theories.

Ikuto (and Rima and their family) resembled the man in the story _so _much.

"Tadase-kun, do you think the story is true?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I sometimes believe in it for fun but I think I do believe this one."

"Eh? Why?"

"I'm not really supposed to be telling this to anyone but…"

"Oh, I won't blabber to anyone. Onegai?" I tried to act a bit…cute to see if it worked. I put on a small pout and looked up at him with big eyes.

Surprisingly, it did.

"Many stories have lasted and have been told for many, many generations in the Hotori family. There was this one about how we were descendants of dogs. That's why there's a law that dogs must not be killed and treated like we were their brothers. Then there are stories about the "cold ones".

"The cold ones?"

He nodded, looking out at the water. "My great-grandfather actually knew some of them and he was the one who made a treaty to keep the cold ones off our land. It's like this. The cold ones are enemies with the dogs—well, they're not really dogs. They're men who can turn into one. So that's why the cold ones are naturally our foes.

"But then my great-grandfather met a group of the cold ones who a bit different than most cold ones. They didn't hunt like the rest of their kind did. Most would feast on humans. That's why I kind of believed the story that Ran-san told just now. They weren't supposed to be dangerous. But my great-grandfather made a truce saying if they would promise to stay off our territory, we wouldn't expose them to everyone."

"If they weren't dangerous, then why did he make the truce?"

"You never know when they might lose their self-control. Even though they're pretty civilized. It's best to be safe, though."

"Civilized?"

"They claim to not hunt humans but animals."

"Oh, I see. This was an interesting story."

Tadase-kun grinned.

"But I have one more question…I hope you don't think I'm nosy or anything."

"Of course not. Go ahead."

"Earlier, when Saaya asked about the Tsukiyomis, Kiseki seemed a bit…sensitive to the topic."

"Ah."

"Why is that?"

"You see, the cold ones my great-grandfather met are the same Tsukiyomis today. My great-grandfather met Tsukiyomi Aruto."

"Tadase-kun, what exactly _are_ the cold ones?"

"People would call them vampires." I felt my blood turn cold.

"Amu-chan, you alright? You have goose bumps along your arm."

"I'm fine."

"These are just old stories that can sometimes creep you out and it's a bit crazy. That's why my dad doesn't want us to tell anyone." He laughed lightly.

"Don't worry. I won't tell."

I feel a bit bad. My objective of calling him out was to see if I could find any information on the Tsukiyomis. And I did. Now, I just have to see it with my own eyes to see if it's one hundred percent true.

But Tadase-kun's a sweet guy. I wouldn't mind spending a day with him. He's fun to be around.

**X-x-X**

It's Sunday and I have nothing to do. And Tsumugu's already gone to go to his job.

I grabbed a book from my desk and started to read it. After an hour or so, I threw the book aside and decided to take a walk. I threw some jeans on with a hoodie and sneakers. I went out the house, making sure the door was locked tight.

I didn't get much sleep last night. I was thinking about what Tadase-kun said. The "cold ones" are supposedly vampires and Rima's father is the same vampire Tadase-kun's great-grandfather met. The description from the story Ran told yesterday fit Rima's family _so _well. And I'm assuming the man in the story was a "cold one".

At the discovery of this newly found information, a thought struck me.

Will I be able to see Rima and their family the same again?

I know it's wrong to treat them differently once I found this out but I'm afraid my nerves will get the best of me and I'll start avoiding Rima. I guess the story did scare me (I hate ghosts and scary stuff).

I'll just have to see what happens tomorrow.

**X-x-X**

I don't _think_ I'm acting any different around Rima. But that's just me. I really can't see Rima suck a human's blood. She looks so innocent with her petite figure, innocent golden eyes, and golden wavy hair. It just doesn't work in my head.

"Amu, what did you do this weekend?"

"I just went to the beach with some of my friends. I also had a reunion type of thing with one of my childhood buddies."

"The beach?"

I remembered how the Tsukiyomis were supposedly not allowed to go to the beach due to the treaty made by Tadase-kun's great-grandfather. However, that was a _while_ ago. I wonder if Rima knows about it. "Yea, you go there?"

"No, swimming's not my thing." Rima smiled but I could tell there was something behind that fake, embarrassed expression of hers.

"Oh, I see. I don't really swim that much either. What did you do?"

"Eh, nothing much. Just sat around at home."

"Oh."

We sat down in homeroom and Ikuto was already seated with his books on the table in a neat pile.

"Hi, Ikuto."

No answer.

How long can a guy hold a grudge?

Fine, then. If he wants to give me the silent treatment, I'll gladly accept it.

**X-x-X**

Almost three weeks passed and there has been no verbal—or physical—contact between Ikuto and me. To put it simply, we're ignoring each other.

Daichi was extremely pleased. We're now walking to gym—which I dread, since we're doing baseball and I'm horrible at that sport—and before we went to the lockers, Daichi stopped me by grabbing my hand to spin me around.

"What's up, Daichi?"

"Amu-chan, I've been planning to ask before but I was waiting for the perfect time but it never seems to come. I can't wait any longer and I'm afraid you'll go with someone else. Amu-chan, will you go the Halloween Party with me?"

The Halloween Party obviously takes place on October 31, next Saturday. _(A/N: I was looking up the date and turns out Halloween really is on a Saturday!) _There's going to be dancing involved and it's similar to a Fall Dance, I guess. To go there, you would have to have a partner. It could be the same gender as you but preferable, the opposite sex.

"I thought it was traditionally the girl's choice."

"Well, yes…"

"Daichi, I'm sorry but I won't be able to be your partner on that day. I'm going to be out of town."

"Why?"

"I just need to restock on some stuff since I'm running out." And that was true. This town barely has anything that can entertain me so going to the city would be good. Plus, dancing just really isn't my thing. Sure, I can dance a little, but it's safe to say I suck. And I don't think I can blend in with the crowd and that I'll be standing out like an awkward idiot.

"Oh, that's too bad. Can't you do it the next day?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, I have something to do that day," I lied. I was just hoping to stay at home next Sunday. "Why don't you ask Ran?"

"Well, she asked me yesterday, but I told her I had to think about it." No wonder Ran looked down in the dumps yesterday. "I was hoping you would say yes."

"Daichi, I think you should say yes."

He sighed. "Yea, you're right." And he trudged towards the boys' locker room. As I looked at his retreating form, I felt bad for rejecting him. But I know that Ran has a _huge_ crush on him and I just can't do that to my friend.

**X-x-X**

P.E. was depressing. I couldn't throw right and I didn't even hit the ball once. I sighed. Baseball just wasn't my thing.

I got the car keys from my bag but stopped once I saw Kairi leaning against my car.

"Kairi? What are you doing here?"

"Ah, Amu-chan. Actually…" He took off his glasses and cleaned it with the hem of his shirt. "I was wondering if you would like to go to the dance with me."

I had to stop my jaw from dropping. "U-Um, sorry, Kairi but I have to go somewhere that day. Sorry."

"Yea, I heard from Daichi."

"Then, why…?"

"I just thought you made an excuse to not go with him." He shyly smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Amu-chan."

"Um, yea. See you."

I opened the car door and banged my head against the steering wheel. Two guys asked me to the dance in one day even though one of them knew I was going to be out of town. I'm not even that…attractive and such.

I looked up and almost had a heart attack.

Ikuto was walking casually towards my car.

I did the first thing I could think of: I started the car and sped away. I don't know why I'm running—or in this case, driving—away from him but I know that my nerves got the best of him. I looked into the side mirror and saw Ikuto with his hand on his mouth. Was he _laughing_??

**X-x-X**

A nice, hot shower _really _helps after a long day. I sat on my bed, my wet hair dangling and a towel wrapped around my naked body. I strolled over to the balcony _(A/N: Did I mention that? If I didn't, my bad. But Amu has a balcony :D) _and chugged down my bottle of milk.

After I finished the whole bottle, I let out a breath of happiness. "Milk definitely tastes better after a hot shower!"

I heard the ringtone of my cell phone and looked at the caller ID. Well, one thing's for sure. This person isn't on my contacts list. I flipped it open and brought it to my ear.

"Hey." Ok, that came out on an impulse. I always "hey" but I think I should've said hello since I have no idea who this person is.

"_Hello, Amu." _

I almost dropped my phone.

"I-Ikuto?!"

**X-x-X**

**Japanese Translations **_(correct me if I'm wrong)_**:**

minna – everyone

tomodachi(s) – friend(s)

matte – wait

onegai - please

**Cliffhangers are my best friend :D **

**Oh, and please read my current one-shot "Drunk." That was the one-shot as a present to all my readers :3 Please read and review it~ **

**So…Review? Please? If you do, I may have faster updates :D**


	7. Surprises Everywhere

**Sorry for the late update…my excuse is school. It's been a pain in the ass and I only worked on this chapter because the internet was down and sat here for four hours finishing the last half of the chapter. I could've posted this last night but I couldn't log into fanfiction and _someone_ wouldn't send me the document so I could post it up today in the afternoon. *sighs*  
**

**I know I'm supposed to stay focused on "Crossing Paths" but the plot bunnies were at the works ^-^ I had some Amuto moments in this chapter~ (kinda)**

**Thank you for these reviewers:**

ShugoCharaLuvr, CrAzYaNiMeFrEaKgUrL, Uchiha Lolita, miserae, oxCuteKataraox, liledormouse, Foxgrl18, D1Gi-S0rA, XSaluri-ChanX, Dark Midnight Dream, HarunaNiwa073, xBlackTigerx, Chaillot, Holy Angel Heart

**Thank you **Holy Angel Heart **for taking the time to review every chapter ^-^**

**The reviews are dwindling down…not just for me but for many stories. Stupid school -.- **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter~ ^-^ **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way so please do not sue because you won't gain anything.**

**Note: When characters think or say "Holy—!!" It doesn't mean they cursed and I just covered up the curse word. I would type the curse word out because this fanfic is rated T. "Holy—!!" just means the character says "holy" but stops herself/himself from cursing any further. Some people were confused so hope this clears it up.**

_**X-x-Flashback of Chapter 6-x-X**_

_A nice, hot shower _really_helps after a long day. I sat on my bed, my wet hair dangling and a towel wrapped around my naked body. I strolled over to the balcony _(A/N: Did I mention that? If I didn't, my bad. But Amu has a balcony :D)_and chugged down my bottle of milk._

_After I finished the whole bottle, I let out a breath of happiness. "Milk definitely tastes better after a hot shower!"_

_I heard the ringtone of my cell phone and looked at the caller ID. Well, one thing's for sure. This person isn't on my contacts list. I flipped it open and brought it to my ear._

"_Hey." Ok, that came out on an impulse. I always "hey" but I think I should've said hello since I have no idea who this person is._

"Hello, Amu."

_I almost dropped my phone._

"_I-Ikuto?!"_

_**X-x-End of Flashback-x-X**_

**X-x-X**

**Surprises Everywhere**

**Amu's POV**

Holy—!!! _The _Tsukiyomi Ikuto called me. Ikuto is calling _me_. _Me _as in a plain, pink-haired girl. Well, pink hair isn't _plain_. Try the word "weird".

I heard Ikuto let out a short laugh. Even the sound of that makes my heart beat rapidly. Does he know the effect he has on me?

"_Stuttering now, are you?"_

I frowned with the blood rushing to my face. I tried not to stutter with the next sentence. "Finally talking to me, are you?" I sat down on my bed.

There was silence from the other line and I thought he hung up for a second.

"…_it's better this way. It's bad enough that my sister…"_

"Rima? What about Rima?"

"…"

My eyebrows knitted together. "Why is better this way? What did Rima do?"

"_It doesn't matter anymore. Because I've given up."_

Now I am completely confused. "Given up? On what?"

"On trying to be good. I just can't. You're too much, Amu."

I blushed when he said my name. "W-What do you mean by 'too much'?"

"_Stammering again?" _My face glowed bright red. If he continues teasing me like this, I'm afraid that my face will burst. _"I called tonight because I didn't get the chance to talk to you today since you drove away." _He just changed the subject…

"Oh."

I could hear him laughing.

The tips of my mouth curved down. "Why are you laughing?"

"_I was just wondering why you drove away."_

"Oh, yea. I was just, um, I had to hurry home or my dad will worry." That of course was a lie and I hope I was a good actress. I still don't know why I drove away. Was I nervous and surprised that he was going to talk to me or was I _scared_ because of what Tadase-kun told me?

"_Oh, I see." _He didn't continue after that. I sat down on my bed and twiddled with a strand of my pink hair.

"So…aren't you going to tell me why you called, Ikuto?" A thrilling sensation went through me as I spoke his name.

"_Right. About that…would you like to accompany me on Halloween?" _This time, I did drop my phone.I stared at the phone like the idiot I am for a few seconds. I quickly picked it up, however, or he might think I just hung up on him.

"Sorry, but I'm—"

"_I know. You're going out of town right?"_

I frowned. How did he know about that? "Are you trying to annoy me, then?"

He let out a chortle. _"Maybe."_

"If you knew I'm not going to the dance, why are you asking me to accompany you on Halloween?"

"_I was just wondering if you would like a ride next Saturday." _I dropped my phone again. God, I have to stop doing that. I picked it up and put it against my ear.

"W-What?" Was my intelligent response. I swear I heard him laugh just now.

"_I said—"_

"No, I heard you. But why?

"_I happened to be going somewhere next Saturday, too."_

"I can go by myself." Although I was secretly hoping I could go with him.

I slapped my forehead. I can't believe I just thought that!

"_Yes, but we're saving gas here. Think about the resources we'll save."_ I raised an eyebrow. I didn't think he was the type to go green. On second thought, I didn't even know what type of guy he was. All I know is that he likes to tease me (sometimes), wants to stay away from me but he's given up, he's smart and quiet, and he's good looking. He is an enigma that I might not solve. But I'm going to try. _"Plus, I'd like to show you something."_

"What is it?" This almost sounds like a date. I blushed at my thought. Focus, Amu!

"_That's my secret." _My face turned redder at hearing his low, velvet voice. Gosh, I'm blushing when he isn't even present in this room!

"F-Fine."

"_So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"_

"Um, yea. Bye."

I heard the soft "click", indicating he hung up. But I just stared at the screen of the phone that read "Call Ended: 1:54". _(A/N: I actually read the conversation with a timer XD But it may be different ;D)_ I gently closed my phone and placed it on the top of my nightstand. I repositioned myself on my bed and looked at the wall across from me with a blank stare.

I then started to mess my wet hair all up, scratching my head in a frantic frenzy.

Ah, what should I do?? Ikuto just offered me a ride next Saturday. Yes, _the_ Ikuto. The _hot_ guy that everyone wants to go out with but can't. And he just asked _me_. The "new girl" of the school. Who has weird pink hair—I'm still trying to figure out how I got pink hair…maybe something happened to my genes that day...—and golden eyes and I give off an awkward aura. (Yes, I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb.)

Geez, this is making my head hurt!

I sighed, grabbing my blow dryer. I turned it on and waved it around my head. After I finished, I placed it away and sat back on my bed. I turned to my nightstand. I took the sphere and twisted the key _(A/N: Is that what it's called?) _on it. I let go and placed it back on the table. Violin music began to play softly and I breathed out a content sigh. This always calms me whenever my emotions are going wild. I'm still not sure who gave it to me though…I received this on my birthday.

**X-x-X**

_(A/N: I totally forgot about Amu's birthday DX And I had all these ideas for it too D: But it wouldn't work so I got some new ideas :3 And I just decided to add it here XD)_

_(A/N: Did I say that everyone was a junior? I forget myself DX Amu's turning 18 here so that would be a senior…so everyone here is a senior ;D Man, I seriously need to get my facts straighten out -.-)_

**Flashback:**

"Happy Birthday, Amu!" Rima jumped on me and gave me a big bear hug.

"Thanks, Rima." Ow, that hurt a bit… Rima wasn't _heavy_ but for some reason, she's like rock hard. I felt like I just smashed into a brick wall.

"Oops, sorry," she apologized once she noticed my wince.

"That's ok."

"Anyways, are you planning to do anything today?"

"Nope," I answered, popping the 'p'.

"Good because I've already made plans for the two of us today." I sweatdropped. "We're going to the company I work at and then we're going shopping.

"Oh, o—wait, what do you mean we're going to a company? What for?"

"Amu, you are going to be my personal model." Rima gave me a big smile. "Now let's go to homeroom."

"No," I flatly refused. I don't want to. I suck at modeling and I don't even have the attributes of a model."

"Yes, you do. Please, Amu?"

"No. Ask Utau."

"I don't want her to be my personal model. She's in enough covers of magazines as it is. Please, for me?" She gave me her puppy eyes and all the arguments I had in my head flew out the window.

I sighed. "Fine."

"Yes!"

"But I get to choose my outfits," I joked.

Rima gave me a smirk. "Only if I think it suits you."

**X-x-X**

"Happy Birthday, Amu-chan!" Daichi gave me a big hug and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Thanks, Daichi."

"So you're like, what? Eighteen?"

"Yup." I smiled from ear-to-ear.

Throughout the day, I received many yells of 'Happy Birthday!' and some presents. I'm so thankful to have received _any_ presents, considering I moved here less than a month ago.

I was a bit disappointed though.

_He _still isn't talking to me.

Yep. You guessed it.

Tsukiyomi Ikuto.

We still haven't talked and I'm not going to talk unless he initiates the conversation and gives me an explanation as to why I had to lie to everyone about the car accident.

**X-x-X**

**Still Flashback:**

"What do you think?"

"Hmm…she has a nice body and all…but does she really want to do this?"

"Yes, of course she does. Right, Amu?" She turned to me with an angelic smile on her face but I knew better than to believe that.

"Y-Yes," I told to Rima's manager. I was biting my lip, shuffling from foot to foot, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt, everything that relates to being extremely nervous.

And it doesn't help that Rima's brother is here with her! Yes, I have to do a photo shoot with Ikuto. Why? Because Rima wanted it. She said, "You two look good together." I blushed at that remark but don't I get a say in this? It _is_ my birthday after all.

"Hinamori-san, please come with me."

"A-Alright."

"We just need to put on your make up."

I nodded. I followed Rima's manager to a room and stepped inside. I sat in front of the mirrors that covered one whole wall. In front of the mirror, a table covered the bottom half of the mirrors. Cosmetics were cluttered around the table and it was amazing.

"Please take a seat," a new voice said. I turned around and saw a blonde behind me. She was wearing a blue dress that puffed out at the bottom and her hair was curled at the end. A flower barrette was on her left side of her hair.

I obeyed and sat ramrod straight, my arms like poles by my side, my hands clutching the side of the chair.

She giggled. "You can relax. I'm not gonna bite."

I calmed down somewhat but was still nervous. She started to comb my hair and proceeded to put my hair in a half ponytail on the left side of my head. I immediately relaxed from the soft touch of her fingers. It felt so good to have someone comb your hair…

"See? What'd I tell you?" I saw her smile from the reflection on the mirror. I mirrored her expression. "I'm Lulu by the way. Lulu de Morcef."

"Hinamori Amu."

"So what are you so nervous about?"

I shifted uncomfortably in my vanity seat. She applied a yellow ribbon to my ponytail. "It's my first time doing a photo shoot and I'm not even a model! Rima just pulled me into this… And the camera doesn't exactly love me, making our feeling mutual."

Lulu let out a quiet laugh. "I'm sure the camera will love you. And just relax. Keep in mind of these two things: have fun and loosen up. It'll be easier for you and photographer."

"I can't exactly relax when _he's _here."

"He?" I turned the chair around and she began applying some makeup to my face.

"Rima's brother."

"Ah." I closed my eyes so she could put some light gold yellow eye shadow, bringing my eyes out. "You don't like him?"

"Not _exactly_. I think we're in a fight?" I said it as a question because I don't have a _clue _what to call our "disagreement" from before.

"Don't think about your problems. For now, focus on the photographer. That's the main thing you have to do. Set your problems aside and listen to what he or she tells you. It's critical that you please the photographer."

"You seem to know a lot about modeling." She placed some lip gloss on my lips.

"I wanted to do modeling since I was little but people didn't exactly see a model in me, apparently. I've been to many companies around here but they all said no. So I'm now in the background, dressing models up and such. It's not like I hate it—it's really fun, actually—but I would prefer modeling as my career."

"Why don't you try looking into an agency somewhere far away?"

"Eh?" She paused, her hand in midair from putting mascara on my eyelashes.

"If you've only searched in this city, you shouldn't give up. Who knows, maybe you'll find the agency you belong in in another country or something! Just don't give up. Because you look like a model to me." I winked at her.

The tips of her mouth went up. "Thanks, Amu-chan—you don't mind me calling you that right?"

"Nope. So I guess I can call you Lulu?"

"Of course."

She went to the rack of clothes and pulled out a stunning dress. "Now here's your outfit. Hurry and get changed!" she exclaimed excitedly. She pushed me to a corner of a room, which was concealed with a red curtain. I'm guessing that's the changing room.

After I was done, I pushed the curtains away and tried to walk on my 3-inch heels. Lulu broke into a huge smile.

"Amu-chan, you're so pretty! You should definitely be a full-time model. You have the right figure and the looks for it."

"Thanks for the praise but I think I'll stick to staying home and having a normal and chilled life."

"That sounds so boring, though. Add some excitement!"

"Nah, I'll pass. I have enough excitement already." Yea, the Tsukiyomis' (mostly Ikuto and Rima) were the "excitement" in my life. And Ikuto is bad for my mental health since he's such a mystery to me that I'm afraid I'll never solve.

"If you wish. Here's a necklace, a bracelet, and a pair of earrings."

"Thanks."

**X-x-X**

"Ha! I knew you would be perfect! What'd I tell you? Isn't Amu perfect for this line?"

"She is."

I shifted from foot to foot and bit my lip anxiously. Rima and her manager were going around me and looking at me from every angle. They fixed any misplaced ruffle or smoothed out a little wrinkle. That's just making me more nervous.

"Whoa. Damn, birthday girl."

I turned around to the new voice and I broke into a grin. "If Utau heard that, I bet she'll throw a fit." He threw his head back and let out a booming laughter. Kukai was standing in a soccer uniform by the camera set. Lately, I've been talking to Kukai much more. I guess you could say we were friends. This guy is _hysterical_. I have the funniest moments with him in math. He makes that class seem more bearable. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, I just wanted to watch you and my brother in a photo shoot." He seemed way too amused. I glanced at Ikuto and he had a death glare going on at Kukai.

"You should do it with us." At least it'll be less awkward.

"Nah, I'll pass. Besides, it's Rima's call. And I have soccer practice anyway in about 30 minutes." Damn. "I thought I'd stop by and experience your first photo shoot."

"It's not that special."

"Yes, it is. Anyways, did you pick your dress?"

"Nope. Rima did. The designer always does." I was wearing a yellow dress that went down to my knees. The top part was tight and hugged my chest. The bottom half of the dress (which was the part from under my breasts to the bottom) was flowy and the material of the whole dress is satin. There was a white sash that was wrapped under my breasts and it ended with a big bow on my back. The dress had a white floral design. My three-inch heels were white and the jewelry Lulu gave me had a flower theme. There was a yellow flower as the charm to the necklace and the bracelet. The earrings were yellow flower studs.

"Well, I'm not an expert on how the fashion industry works."

"I can see that," I teased.

"Hinamori-san, please step this way," one of the cameramen called. I felt myself getting hot.

Then I felt someone's hand on my left shoulder. I turned my head and saw Kukai grinning at me. Seeing his contagious smile made the corner of my lips go up as well.

"Hinamori, you're gonna rock this shoot. I know it. So go out there and kick some ass!"

I laughed at that. "Yea, yea. Thanks, Kukai. And I mean it."

"Sure thing. I'll see you later, ok?"

"Sure." I smiled and his reassuring hand left my shoulder. I walked towards Ikuto who was looking at me.

I felt self-conscious under his scrutinizing stare. Did I look ugly in his eyes? Awkward? Sore thumb?

I looked at his outfit and I have to say that it suited him. He had on some loose fitting dark jeans with some sneakers. His hoodie was gray with a white tight shirt underneath. So I guess my semi-formal outfit would contrast to his casual one?

My pace slowed and when I stopped, I was a good five feet away from him. And I wanted it to stay that way.

"Hinamori-san, please stand next to Tsukiyomi-san with your backs touching."

…How come my wishes never come true?

I reluctantly went over to him and saw him inch back. I felt my nostrils flare. I just wanted to say to him, "Look, this wasn't my idea! So just chill so we can get this over with!" I didn't though.

Our backs touched. When looking in the camera, I was on the left and Ikuto was on the right.

"Now turn your bodies a little towards the camera. That's it. Hinamori-san, lean on your left foot and bend your right leg. Tsukiyomi-san, try to act casually. Stick your hands in your pockets."

_Snap! Snap! Snap!_

I moved from my pose. I stood two feet away from him, facing him. The photographer, which was a man in his thirties, stood about three to four yards away from us and he was facing our sides.

The photographer then said, "Hinamori-san, please lean on Tsukiyomi-san's chest." Oh god. I saw Ikuto immediately freeze. I hesitantly walked up to him and leaned on his chest. "Now please wrap your arms around him." A blush was splattered across my face. I did as I was told, anyway. "Now please face my way." As the cameraman moved to his left a little, I also turned my head more to my right. I guess this shot would focus on the back part of my dress.

"Tsukiyomi-san, please lightly wrap your arms around her shoulders so the back part of the dress is still visible." He did and I shivered at his cold touch. One of these days, I'm going to make him stand in front of a fire to warm himself. I wonder what his body temperature is…60 degrees?

"Now smile, the both of you." I did, a little though.

_Snap!_

"Tsukiyomi-san, could you please give me a lighter expression?"

I looked up at him and saw his face was strained. My eyebrows knitted together. What's he doing?

I suddenly felt an immense pain on my shoulder. I let out a small squeak and glanced at my left shoulder. Ikuto's hand was clutching it, as if he was pain. Upon hearing my almost inaudible yelp, he released his hold at the speed of lightning. I turned my head back to him and he was looking away.

"Let's try this one more time," the photographer suggested. At least this cameraman was nice. Most were strict and mean. I did what Lulu told me to do: have fun and loosen up. The sooner this gets done, the sooner I can get out of here. Although having fun is hard. But I'll try. I may gain a benefit from this experience.

_Snap! Snap!_

"Tsukiyomi-san." I looked up and his face was still with no expression on his face. Swallowing my pride, I spoke for the first time in weeks. I guess I just lost our "silent game."

"Look," I started. He looked down at me in surprise. This was the first time I've spoken to him in weeks, after all. "I know you want to get out of here as soon as possible. I know you don't like me and all, but we have to cooperate. So just give a smile so we both can get the hell out of here. Agreed?"

I turned back to the camera without waiting for a response. I smiled, showing my teeth a little. I glanced at Kukai who gave me a thumbs-up. I grinned even further.

_Snap! Snap! Snap!_

**X-x-X**

**Still Flashback:**

"How about this one?"

"Too long."

"Rima, just pick one!"

"But it doesn't look right on you!"

"Gee, thanks."

"I just need the perfect dress."

"Want to try another store?"

"Sure."

Right now, Rima and I were in a brand name store looking for a dress. Rima insisted that I wear a dress since it's my birthday and that we were going somewhere later. Of course, she didn't tell me what the place was.

Now you might be asking, "Why didn't Rima just make you one?" Rima didn't know if I would like it (I highly doubt I wouldn't like it) and she wanted to see one on me to see what color would suit me best. If needed, she'll make adjustments to the dress we buy.

The photo shoot lasted for an hour.

After a few more shots of Ikuto and me, we did solo shots of just me and then of just Ikuto. I could relax more and have fun when it was just me. I also tried on another four outfits. One of them was skinny jeans with a sophisticated shirt. They let my hair loose and a fan was blowing at me so my hair was flying. I liked that the best.

All in all, it was fun. I guess.

We left the building at 4:30 and headed for a mall, which was five minutes away from the building. It's around five right now.

Another half an hour later, we found the dress that was right for me.

It was a black halter dress that was mid-thigh length. It was very much like Rima's yellow dress I wore today at the shoot. It had the same concept and almost the same material. Instead of floral patterns, there were dark blue (the color of Ikuto's hair) and white swirls. The bow was under my left breast and the ribbon was about two inches wide. Rima tossed me about seven really thin silver bangles. She also bought me some open toe black heels, which had two inch heels. The earrings were a swirl. If you spin it, it would look exactly the same as it did before you spun it.

The total cost of everything was roughly around 160 dollars.

I freaked out at the cost. Rima told me not to worry and that she had enough money. I still freaked out.

In the mall, we went to a table and rested for a bit. Rima said she'll be right back. When she came back, she had a little box in her hands. I opened it and there was a mini cake with the diameter of four inches. It was so cute! It was an ice cream cake (I could tell from the cold atmosphere around it) and the top layer was white. There was a flower made from icing at the upper left hand corner. In pink icing, there were words that said "Happy Birthday Amu!" I was elated.

"Aw, Rima, you didn't have to."

Rima smiled. "This is just one of my presents."

"Don't tell me you got more!"

"Heh heh." She had a devilish smile on her face. I gulped. Rima took a candle from the bag and stuck it in the middle of the cake. She pulled out a lighter (why does she have one with her?) and lit the candle. She smiled and said, "Make a wish, Amu."

You know what my wish was? Well, that's a secret.

I blew it out and Rima handed me a fork.

"Rima, we can share this."

"That's ok. I'm not that hungry."

"Oh, ok." Now that I think about it, I've never seen her eat anything before. She would always buy like an apple or pizza but never eat it.

I savored the chocolate taste of the cake the mashed Oreos inside of it. Yum.

It was 5:30 and we rushed to a salon that was pretty well-known.

Our town didn't have many of this fancy stuff. The building we went to in the beginning for the shoot was half an hour away from school. And Rima was at the speed limit when she was driving. Well, she went over it a little.

I got a pedicure, manicure, and my hair was done. It took roughly an hour. How? I have no idea. I think Rima bribed the owner with extra money because I saw her take an additional wad of cash from my purse. There were ten people working on my nails and hair at the same time.

The design on my nail was a white flower on the same color blue as my dress. In the middle of the flower was a silver diamond stud. It wasn't really diamond, of course. If it was, I would've killed Rima for wasting so much money on me. The same pattern was on my toenails. My hair was in a half ponytail and my hair was straightened even more.

After that, Rima pushed me into a bathroom that was in the salon. She told me to change in a stall and wear the dress we just bought and all the other accessories.

After I was done, I came out and Rima did my make-up. She applied some mascara and lip gloss with a very light shade of glittery silver eye shadow.

When we came out of the bathroom, I met with stares and I felt uneasy. Rima pushed me out the door and we both hopped into the car. Our next destination was fifteen minutes away.

"What is this place, Rima?" I questioned once we stopped the car.

"You'll see."

I got out of the car and almost tripped. I steadied myself and Rima told me to close my eyes.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

I did. Rima grabbed my hand and led me to who-knows-where. I was walking straight and then Rima opened a door. We turned right.

"Ok, you can open them."

I slowly opened my eyes and I gasped.

"SURPRISE!!"

As you may have guessed it, it was a surprise party. There was a table with many types of foods and a stage. There was a DJ to the side who started cranking up the music. All my friends were here and even my mom!

"Mom!!" I ran to her and hugged her tightly. "When did you get here?"

"Your friend, Rima, asked me if I could come. I, of course, couldn't refuse. You're finally 18, Amu! You are now an adult. Are you excited?"

I nodded. I turned to Rima and hugged her tightly as well. "Thank you so much, Rima." I could feel the tears coming. I'm just so happy that I have such wonderful friends and family. I'm so thankful.

"Amu, don't cry. You'll ruin your make-up." She dabbed my eyes with a tissue and redid my mascara and eye shadow.

"Amu-chan!" I felt a glomp from behind and found my father crying.

"D-Dad." I laughed at his action.

"My sparrow is growing up!"

"Dad, I'm an adult now."

"It's so hard to believe. I must hand it to Rima-chan though. She planned everything. All I did was help her set up the stuff. Your other friends also brought in the decorations and such."

I swiveled around and wrapped my arms around Rima's waist. "Thanks, Rima. For everything. For being my best friend."

After that, things went by so quickly. People were hugging me from every direction and I was dancing the next minute with Ran, Miki, Su, and Dia. I was laughing so hard when Daichi and Yoru were rapping on the stage.

Kukai and Nagihiko were also here. Utau didn't come because she said she was too busy (Rima said otherwise. She said that Utau didn't want to come). Nagihiko was a polite gentleman but I never really talked with him. Kukai was making me laugh so hard that I choked on my soda. I clapped my hand on his back for being such a hilarious idiot, but I think I hurt myself. His back was really hard too like Rima's.

I was a bit disappointed that Ikuto wasn't here.

Near the end of the party, a huge cake was brought out that was three levels high. There was a big number 18 standing up on the top of the cake. Everyone then sang the corny "Happy Birthday" song and my face went red.

This was my best birthday yet.

After the party, I brought all my presents to the car (which was a lot) and said goodbye to everybody. Tsumugu drove me home with my mom and I was happy about that. It's been a while since Mom was with Tsumugu and it just seems like we're a family again. Mom was staying the night and leaving tomorrow since she can't escape work for a long period of time.

When I got home, I changed and took a bubble bath. After I finished, I blow dried my hair. Tsumugu gave me a big envelope that was 12 inches by 12 inches when I finished brushing my teeth. He said someone rang the doorbell and he found that on the floor. I dashed upstairs to my room and closed the door. I opened it and I pulled out the pictures from today's photo shoot. Wow, that was quick. There were 10 ten pictures. 5 of them were just me and the other 5 was with the Ikuto.

I stopped at the photo with me in the yellow dress. I was smiling, showing the top row of my teeth. Ikuto had a small smile on his face.

I put the pictures down on my desk and noticed a white box that was about seven inches high and five inches wide. I opened it and pulled out a sphere on a little platform that was an inch high. The top of the platform curved around the bottom of the sphere. In the sphere surprised me the most. It was me. I was in jeans and tight shirt with a scarf around my neck. I was smiling. Was a glass figurine? Though it's more like clay. _(A/N: It's like those angel statues from Precious Moments.) _I was standing at the right of the glass globe. It seems as if something is missing on the left side…

I put it upside down and upright again. Fake snow began falling in the globe. It was so pretty. I picked it up and looked at it from every perspective. I noticed a key sticking out at the side. I turned it around to the right until I could not turn it any more. I let go and violin music filled the room.

I closed my eyes and let myself absorb the music and engrave the notes into my brain.

Who is playing this melancholic, yet beautiful piece?

I picked it up and glanced at the bottom. Engraved on the bottom was "To: Amu" in cursive. Under it was "From: " and it was blank after that.

The tips of my mouth curved down. Who is this from? I looked in the box and found a folded piece of paper that I didn't notice before. I opened it and all it said was "Happy Birthday" in a neat cursive scrawl.

Who gave this to me?

I asked my mom and dad but they didn't know. They haven't been in my room at all today.

I went under the covers and slept on my side. I winced at the touch of my left shoulder. I sat up and looked at the skin of it. It was purple. Great. A bruise that Ikuto made. But why was he so…pained? It seemed as if he was holding something in. I turned the key on my present. I let go and closed the light. The music played as I slowly went into a deep slumber.

**End of Flashback**

**X-x-X**

**Normal POV**

"You're a stalker, you know that?"

"Just shut up."

"I agree with Rima."

"Kukai, don't even start."

Rima, Ikuto, and Kukai were having a discussion in their living room.

"You were spying on Amu while you were calling her just now? And you stayed until she fell asleep? Like what the hell?" Rima said in a flat voice.

"I just wanted to see her expression."

Rima's eyebrow rose. "Just for that reason? Can't you tell from her voice?"

"Yes."

Rima frowned. "You. Are a stalker. Creeper. Period."

"Rima's right. I feel sorry for Hinamori for having a creep spying on her while she sleeps."

A pillow was thrown at the speed of light at Kukai but he caught it before it made contact with his face.

"Wow, a pillow? That won't hurt me."

As soon as he ended that sentence, a vase was thrown at him.

"Whoa, chill, Ikuto. This vase is Souko's favorite. So don't go throwing it around."

"Then stop being such a total dickhead."

"Ikuto, no cursing!" Souko scolded from the kitchen.

"It was entertaining though today at the photo shoot." Kukai grinned. "You should've seen your face!" Kukai started howling with laughter.

"Shut the hell up. If I didn't stop myself, I could've easily hurt her."

"But you didn't. I knew you wouldn't, Ikuto," Rima said. "I have complete faith in you."

Kukai snorted.

**X-x-X**

**Amu's POV**

"Amu-chan, wanna shop with us tomorrow? We're going out of town. Hey, why don't you get your business done tomorrow and you can then go with us to the Halloween Party!"

"Sure, I'll go. And no, I still have to do something that day, Ran."

"Oh, ok. Well, at least you'll come with us to shop! Miki, Su, and Dia are coming with us and that's it."

"Ok."

"I'll stop by your house half an hour after school lets out. That way, you can go home and change."

"Sounds good."

**X-x-X**

***dies***

**I wrote the part of where Amu was posing with Ikuto for the second time to the end in one sitting. My brain hurts and the last parts of the flashback were rushed because I got lazy and this chapter was getting long anyways. Do you know how long this chapter was?**

**5,712 words!! XO **

**And if I messed up with anything (like with the fashion shoot and at the nail salon or anything else), I'm sorry but I'm not an expert at that. And if you were confused about anything, just ask me. I'll answer it to the best of my abilities without revealing anything :D I tried to describe and present and outfits as best as I could but I didn't know the terms for some of the things I was describing! DX**

**Ok, I started writing this somewhere in September. I think during the middle. And now it's November. I was halfway done the chapter and then the homework started piling up. I lost interest and I have a major writers block on "Crossing Paths". That's why the flow of this chapter might not be that good. I typed like a third of this in two days and I typed the rest throughout the month. I had to read it through like three times of what I had so far to get my writing flow going.**

**The only time I can type is probably before Thanksgiving break and during it. And then Christmas break. But I may be too tired because of school. I have two projects due next week and it's hard T.T It's just been really heard on me. I have at least 3 hours of homework each day. **

Shameless Self-Advertising: For those who read **Save Me**, be ready for major Amuto **fluff**. Well, that's in a few chapters but I've typed out a whole chapter of **major** fluffiness (I shouldn't have but whatever :D) For people who like **fluff, good story content, and some hurt/comfort**, then **Save Me** is the story from all my stories. I'm actually going to try and make **Save Me **the best story out of all my stories.

**I'm planning to write a book. If I finish it (I'll probably finish it next year or something), and I have it get published (.OOO1 percent chance), I'll tell you guys about it and I hope you read it :D**

**So please be patient with me.**

**Please review =] It would really make my day and motivate me more.**


	8. Unplanned Date

**Started on April 1, 2010.**

**Finally updated **Crossing Paths **(: Check out the latest chapter if you haven't, **Crossing Paths **fans. After this is **Save Me**. Then I'll probably just finish up **With You**. There should be two chapters left for that fanfiction…**

**Thank you to these reviewers:**

Holy Angel Heart, oxCuteKataraox, ShugoCharaLuvr, HarunaNiwa073, LittleMonsterLuvsYou, Amuto_TamaHaru(:, RoundAndRoundxKuruKurux966, PassionateHimitsu, Dark Midnight Dream, HappyBunny855, xheyxhaleyx, 28mymusic

**Thanks so much for reviewing! (: I really appreciate. I can't even express in words how happy I am when someone reviews. It makes my day. :D**

**I think this'll take me a while to write…I've completely lost motivation and forgot what to type next -.- But I really really **_**really **_**want to finish this because Twilight is getting old and I absolutely **_**don't**_** want to put it on hiatus or just leave it incomplete.**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way. All rights belong to Peach-pit and Satelight._

_**X-x-Flashback of Chapter 7-x-X**_

_"Amu-chan, wanna shop with us tomorrow? We're going out of town. Hey, why don't you get your business done tomorrow and you can then go with us to the Halloween Party!"_

_"Sure, I'll go. And no, I still have to do something that day, Ran."_

_"Oh, ok. Well, at least you'll come with us to shop! Miki, Su, and Dia are coming with us and that's it."_

_"Ok."_

_"I'll stop by your house half an hour after school lets out. That way, you can go home and change."_

_"Sounds good."_

_**X-x-End of Flashback-x-X**_

**X-x-X**

**Unplanned Date**

**Amu's POV **

"Amu-chan!" Ran honked her car at me. "Hop in!"

"Coming!" I called from my balcony.

It's around 3 o'clock. Today, Ran and her sisters were going shopping with me. Actually, it was more like _I'm _tagging along and giving them suggestions if necessary. I decided to be a bit dressy than usual today. I threw on a white tube top that hugged my curves and a plaid miniskirt. It wasn't too short like those sluts at school wear but it didn't reach my knees. It was the perfect length, reaching halfway down my thigh. I threw on some black flats. I grabbed a black stylish jacket. I let my hair down today, no hair stuff in it whatsoever. Plain and simple. Yup, I'm ready to go.

I jumped in the car after I received compliments from my friends. Ran started the car and sped away.

After half an hour or so, we reached our destination: the mall. Yeah, we had to travel pretty far to find this mall. And it wasn't even that big! But it's the best we got.

We found this shop inside that was solely for costumes. We split up, finding costumes, while I just looked around. I found Ran holding two costumes up, debating about which to choose.

"Need some help?" I offered.

She turned around and gave me a grin. "Hey. And yup. I can't decide between these two. Should I get this one," She held up a cheerleader outfit _(A/N: It's what Ran usually wears in the manga/anime.)_, "or this one?" The other was more of a sporty one. It consisted of a midriff top and short shorts. The colors were pink and white.

"Both would look cute on you."

She blushed. "W-Which do you think D-Daichi will like better?"

Ah, I get it now. I gave her an understanding smile. "If you want to go for the sexy look, go for the sporty one. But I think I would get the cheerleading one. Think of it this way: Daichi will probably wear a costume that has something to do with sports. You could be his sexy cheerleader," I reasoned, giving her a wink. She blushed even further. "You two might even win "Best Couple" of the night."

"Thanks, Amu-chan. Do you think this'll look a bit…I don't know, childish?" she asked uncertainly. I understood immediately. She wanted to look her best for Daichi.

"All right, then." I scanned around the rack and found what I was looking for. I pulled it out and held it up. "How about this? It's still a cheerleader outfit but sexier than the one you have right now." Instead of the short dress Ran originally picked out as her costume, this cheerleader outfit had a pink short miniskirt and a midriff top. "Just make sure not to bend down too much, ok? Your underwear will be in plain sight, then."

Ran hugged me. "Thanks so much, Amu-chan!"

"Mmhm."

After an hour, all five of us met at the changing rooms. Each of us (except for me) showed each other our costume. Ran had the cheerleading outfit; Su had a maid costume, the green dress reaching her knee; Dia would be a singer, complete with a fake ear set microphone; Miki held…nothing in her hands.

"Miki-chan, desu, where is your costume?"

"I'm wearing it. My costume is me." I couldn't help but giggle at Miki's stubbornness.

"Don't be stupid, Miki," Ran scolded. "You're _going_ to wear a costume, whether you like it or not."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Don't you want to impress Yoru?"

At that, Miki's cheeks flared. "W-What does he have to do with anything??"

Dia commented, "Everybody knows you like Yoru, Miki."

"Yeah!" Ran agreed. "Why don't you just be a cat?" She pulled out a cat costume. The pack contained dark blue short shorts, a matching blue tube top, gloves that reached the elbow, dark blue ears and tail.

"Why is it so skimpy?" Miki complained.

"Miki, we're in _high school_. We're past the kiddy costumes. Even Su was bold and picked out a dress that didn't reach her feet!" Su blushed at that. "Or would you rather have that?" Ran pointed at another similar costume but it had less clothing. It was just a bra and underwear.

"…ugh, fine! Just give me the stupid costume!"

"Mission accomplished!" Ran high-fived Dia and I laughed.

They paid for their costumes and we decided to go to a restaurant to eat dinner.

"Do you mind going ahead of me? I have to do something first."

"Sure, Amu-chan," Dia said. "Meet us at the Moonlight Diner. It's actually the street across from us. Do you mind walking?"

"No, I don't mind. I'll catch you later!" I walked off, waving.

I went into a teen store and picked out some clothes because I was in desperate need of some. After half an hour or so, I was satisfied with what I picked out. It wasn't much—just three pieces of clothing—but I was in a hurry. I'll shop another time.

I hurried and paid for my things. I left the mall, putting on jacket and wrapped it tightly around myself. Boy, was it cold. It was around six and night had begun to fall since it was nearing winter.

I noticed four teens I didn't know to my right, ten yards away. They were smoking or drinking. I made eye contact with one of them for a split second. I cursed under my breath; I shouldn't have done that. I scurried away to my left, avoiding them at all costs. I don't want to involve myself with those guys.

I walked some more and looked up. I stopped, my blood running cold. How the heck did they get in front of me? I looked to my right and saw two teens sauntering towards me, their walk unsteady. Great, they're all drunk. So there are two on my left and two on my right. I can always run straight ahead.

As if he could read my thoughts, one of the two on my right dashed to the front, the same time I did. Damn, how can they think straight in this state?!

"Oh, no. You're not going anymore." He walked forward as I walked backward. I could smell the alcohol in his breath. The man in front of me must've been my age: 18. He had black hair and brown eyes. He wore a white T-shirt and baggy jeans.

My back hit the wall.

Shit. I was in deep trouble now. I looked around. This was the back of the building, where people rarely come here. Just my luck.

I was trembling from fear. They must've noticed too, as all four of the teens neared me.

"She's shaking in fear. Just looking at her makes me horny," the one on my left said, and touched my left thigh. I flinched away from his touch.

The one on my right had already started to rip my jacket off of me. The cold air just added the shivers I was already having.

"No, stop. Stop it!" I screamed but my mouth was quickly covered.

The teen in front of me started attacking my neck. I squirmed away from his touch but two guys pinned each of my wrists in an iron grip. Shouldn't drunken people be weak?? I kicked and ended up kicking the crotch of the guy in front of me. He backed away from me, doubling over in pain. Ha, serves him right! Score one for me!

The fourth teen had crouched down to pin my legs to wall. Damn him!

"You fucking bitch!" the teen in front of me screamed. Surprisingly, he got right back up and slapped my cheek, hard. Man, I could feel the sting. He attacked my chest with his mouth and I shrieked into the mouth. I tried to move any part of my body. Either they're just really strong or I'm really weak. I think the latter.

Someone, please help me!!

I could already feel the tears coming up but I swallowed it back down. No way will I show them any more weaknesses.

As if on cue, headlights were seen in the distance. My eyes widened. The car was going at top speed towards us and stopped a few yards in front of me. A person stepped out of the car and the next second, the guy who was groping my chest fell to the ground with a grunt.

It was Ikuto.

"Amu, get in the car," he ordered, his tone dangerously low. I looked into his eyes and I held back a gasp. They were _red_.

I wasted no time in getting in the car. A second later, Ikuto appeared in the driver's seat and revved the engine. I glanced out the window and saw that all four teens were on the ground, unconscious.

It took us a minute to arrive at the Moonlight Diner since it was across the street from the mall. Not one word or glance was exchanged. He parked the car and leaned his head back. Neither of us moved.

"Thank you…Ikuto," I whispered quietly, afraid he couldn't hear me.

But of course, he did. "You are such an idiot."

I sighed. "No need to remind me."

"What were you doing back there, alone?" He faced me and I noticed his eye color was back to normal: amethyst.

"I was doing some last-minute shopping. I was supposed to meet up with my friends."

"Are you ok?" he asked gently.

I was taken aback by his soft tone. "Y-Yes."

He must've noted the goose bumps I had because he took of his jacket and handed it to me. "This might help. Sorry if it's cold."

"Thanks." I shrugged into it and instantly felt the cold feeling it had. But it was oddly warm as well. The sleeves reached past my hands and I could the scent smelled good… Great, I'm a scent pervert now.

"It's partly your fault that you were attacked. If you didn't wear those revealing clothing, I'm sure you would've had a better chance of losing their attention."

Blood rose all the way up to my hairline. "I-I just wanted to dress up a bit today. How should I know something like this would happen…"

"Are you sure you're all right?"

My eyebrows knitted together. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, a normal person would be shocked. Who wouldn't be, after almost being raped?" His jaw clenched. He must've been remembering what had happened. The anger was evident in his eyes. For some reason, I was pleased to see him getting angry when I was hurt.

"I guess you could say I'm used to hiding my feelings." I grimly smiled.

"What, your "Cool & Spicy" image?" he mocked.

I scoffed. "I don't even know why students call it that at every school I'm at. But yes, actually. I guess it just comes naturally. It can sometimes benefit me…" I trailed off. "Sometimes, hiding your real emotions can lessen your problems." I was talking about how I act around my mother and everyone else. "But I guess I was a bit scared back there." It was silent between us for a bit.

"You shouldn't keep you friends waiting. They're worried since you're taking so long."

"Shoot! I forgot." We got out of the car at the same time and saw my group of friends coming out of the diner.

"Amu-chan!" Ran sprinted towards me but skidded to a stop when she saw who was next to me. Her jaw dropped.

"Hey, Ran." I ran up to her and hugged her. "Sorry for being late. I had some trouble along the way but Ikuto helped me."

"Oh. Hey, Ikuto."

"Hey." He smiled at my friends.

"Um, Amu-chan, we kind of ate already…" Miki confessed, ashamed of herself.

"We're sorry, desu!"

"I guess hunger got the best of us," Dia sheepishly admitted.

"That's ok. I'm not that hungry."

"Actually, you're going to eat dinner with me." Ikuto stepped closer to me and I was in shock, along with all my other friends. Since when did we agree to this?! "I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not, desu!"

"Well, we'll be going on our way now, Amu-chan. Have a nice dinner with Tsukiyomi-san!" Miki called out, dragging a speechless Ran away. The other two sisters followed suit.

"…since when did I say I would eat dinner with you?"

"It's a command, Amu. Come on." He motioned for me to follow.

This night was just getting crazier and weirder.

**X-x-X**

I couldn't help but think of this as a date.

He opened the door for me like a gentleman. The inside was amazing. It was called the Moonlight Diner because at each table, there were candles. Also, the ceiling was painted with stars that glowed. Only the front had lights that were powered by electricity. The waitress grabbed two menus for us. When she saw Ikuto, you could practically see the sparkles in her side.

"Hey, I'm Hina, your waitress for the night. This way, please." She led us to a table in the back. Everything was so beautiful here.

"What would you like to drink?" she asked pointedly to Ikuto. Her back was literally facing me.

"Coke. Amu?"

"Same here."

"All right, I'll be right back." She walked away, purposely shaking her hips. What a slut.

But the whole time she was talking, he didn't once look at her. I shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze.

"What?"

"I must say that you look beautiful tonight. Delicious too, like a ripe strawberry." He licked his lips, teasing me.

I knew my face resembled a strawberry now. "I-I thought you weren't going to talk to me anymore…"

"Like I said, I have given up."

I was going to question him further but the waitress came back. She gently placed the glass of Coke besides Ikuto's hand and roughly dropped mine on the table next to my arm. Some of the Coke splattered on my hand. Bitch.

"Have you decided what you wanted to order?" She gave Ikuto a warm smile. Ugh. Totally unnecessary.

"Amu can order first."

"Uh…" I didn't even look at the menu. I quickly opened up the menu and ordered the first thing I saw. "I'll have some tempura*."

"And how about you?" she asked Ikuto.

"A bowl of udon* and some sushi*."

I raised my eyebrow.

"Ok, that'll be ready in about ten minutes." She took our menus away and smiled.

Ikuto finally glanced up at her for the first time since we sat down. "Thank you."

She became dazed. She walked away, her steps uneven.

"Poor girl," I muttered.

"Why's that?"

"Didn't you see what you did?"

He furrowed his eyebrows. "No."

I sighed. "You have this effect on people. They're shocked by your looks since it's so handsome. She's probably hyperventilating right now."

"Do I have that effect on you?" He smirked at me.

I blushed. I quietly said, "You make me go red in the face very often." Then I said louder, "But I thought you didn't eat. At least, I never see Rima eat or your siblings for that matter."

"Staring at me during lunch?" he teased. I flushed a bright red. "I'm never really hungry. Actually, I prefer not to eat." I opened my mouth to question about that but he cut me off. "Oh, and the food I ordered is yours as well."

"What?! How do you expect me to eat that much??"

"I bet you're starving."

"No, I'm not." Then my stomach growled, shutting me right up. Thanks a lot, stomach, thanks a lot.

He laughed, causing the shade of red on my face to darken.

"You're cute when you blush like that."

"Pervert," I mumbled under my breath as more blood rushed up to my face. He laughed.

"Hey, do you mind if I ask a few questions?"

"I'll try my best to answer them."

"Why do your eyes change color? I've noticed three colors so far: black, purple, and red."

"It guess it changes when my mood changes. It becomes red when I'm extremely pissed."

"Like just now?"

He nodded, clenching his hand that was on the table. "You don't know how much I wanted to _kill_ those bastards for doing that to you…"

I looked down, secretly pleased that he would go that far for me. "Thanks, Ikuto. But really, I'm all right. And I don't want you become a murderer," I lightly joked.

"I think I deserve a reward or something for saving you." He smirked.

I sipped my Coke. "That's fine. What do you want?"

"Can it be anything?"

I nodded. His smirk widened. I just realized that I agreed that it could be _anything_. Oh, snap.

"That means you'll strip in front of me and pole dance?"

"No, you freaking pervert!!" I threw my napkin at him, even though it wouldn't do any damage. He laughed, catching the napkin and handing it back to me.

"I was kidding. But I wouldn't mind the stripping part."

"No," I flatly refused.

"I'll think of one soon."

I sighed. "Fine."

Just then, our server came back with our food. Everything looked yummy.

"If you need _anything_ at all, just ask for me. I'm usually at the front or roaming around this room." She winked and strutted away, her high heels clacking against the ground.

I took a bit of my tempura. It was delicious. I swallowed and asked my next question. "Why were you at the mall?"

"Because I was."

My eyes narrowed. "I doubt you just thought randomly today, 'Oh, I think going to the mall will be a _wonderful_ idea!'"

He laughed. "You're sharper than I thought. But I'm afraid I can't answer that question fully. Another one."

I frowned. "Fine. Ok, this question isn't about you really. Why does Utau hate me so much? She gives me a lot of glares during school."

"Oh. That. It's not your fault. She's just jealous."

"_Jealous_? Why would she be jealous of me?"

"Eat, Amu."

I rolled my eyes but did as I was told.

"I can't tell you what exactly but I can tell you this: it's something she once had but can never have again."

"That doesn't say much."

"My answers are limited for your own safety."

"It's not like I'm going to tell anyone."

"I know that. But I can't. To anyone, really."

"Fine. Next one: Why were you so cold the first day I met you?"

"Oh." He chuckled darkly. "I would love to answer you but this question will have a very limited answer."

I pouted. "Oh, come on. It can't be that bad. It's not like I'm going to run away because I was scared of your answer," I sarcastically said, taking a bite of my shrimp.

He bit his lip and stayed silent.

My eyes widened. No way. Did I guess right?

"How about this: it was because of you that I was hostile."

I frowned. "That just made me more confused."

"I know." He smirked.

I sighed, tossing a sushi into my waiting mouth.

"I think it's my turn to answer some questions."

"Go ahead." I drank some more of my soda.

"Why were you at the mall today?"

"Oh. That's easy. I was merely helping my friends pick out their Halloween costumes."

"What was your first impression of me when you first came here to Yakushima?'

I gulped down the last of my tempura. "Handsome. Mysterious. Cold."

"Were you ever scared of me, even if it was for a split second?"

I thought about it while munching on my sushi. I swallowed it down with some Coke as Ikuto waited patiently. "No, I don't think so. Well, I never was really scared _of _you. I never felt the I'm-scared-you're-going-to-kill-me type of fear. But I was always surprised or confused when you sent me glares. I thought I did something bad." I laughed. I grabbed hold of the bowl of udon but then blushed. "Um, do you mind if I eat it?"

"No, go ahead. I bought it for you." For some reason, the way he said 'for you', I felt all warm and tingly inside. "But be careful. All those calories can add up and make you fat." And of course, he just had to ruin the moment.

"I am not fat!" I fumed.

He laughed. "Amu, chill, I was just kidding."

I turned beet red. I quietly ate some of the udon.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded. I was so stuffed! "Thanks for the dinner, Ikuto."

"No problem."

The waitress came, as if she was watching us this whole time. Ugh, that would've been creepy.

"Would you like the check?" she sweetly asked.

"Yes, please." He fished out his wallet and took the check from her. I noticed a post-it was stuck to it. It read "Call me sexy!" and then her number underneath it. Ikuto just placed some bills on the table (it was a lot of money) and stood up, leaving the post-it on the check. I was secretly content with that.

We left the diner and headed to his car. He opened the car door for me and I slipped inside. Next second later, and literally, he was opening the door and sitting down.

"How do you do that?" I asked incredulously.

"That's a secret for me to know and for you to never find out."

I frowned but I didn't say anything.

He pulled out of the parking lot as I stared out the window. All of a sudden, everything blurred and I was leaning against my chair. I checked how fast we were going and I began to panic.

"Holy crap!" I screamed. He jumped in surprise. I never thought I would surprise him like that.

"What is it?" he demanded, alert.

"You're going a hundred and ten miles an hour!"

He did a facepalm. "You're frightened of the _speed_? That's funny since you're not even really afraid of being raped or getting hit by a car."

"Ikuto, I'm serious. Slow down!"

"We're not going to crash, Amu," he assured. "Besides, I have never gotten a single ticket." He gave me his Cheshire grin, his eyes boring into mine when it should be looking at the road.

"Pay attention to the road! And Ikuto, my dad's a cop. It's natural for me to obey the laws."

He sighed but lowered it to ninety miles an hour. "Better?"

"Nope."

He growled but listened nonetheless. It was at seventy miles an hour.

"That's good enough, I guess," I happily said.

"I hate driving slow," he mumbled.

"Do you always drive fast?"

"Yeah. I don't see why you're so afraid."

"A normal person would."

"Sucks, 'cause I'm not normal." He smirked at me. "Ok, enough about my driving. Time for _my _questions."

I groaned. "Fine."

"Do you believe in myths?"

"Specify, please."

"How about the supernatural?"

"Um, it depends, I guess. Like for ghosts, kind of. Demons, not really."

"What about vampires?"

"Kind of," I warily answered. Is he trying to test me or something?

"I see. Next one: what were you thinking about before I rescued you?"

"I was trying to fight them off and I thought I would have the advantage since they're disoriented and drunk. But when I was pinned against the wall, I couldn't move. I tried to fight them but it didn't work. I think I should attend some self-defense classes…" I trailed off, lightly touching my right wrist. Those bastards grabbed onto my wrists so hard that it made bruise marks on my wrists. Damn them.

Ikuto's left hand came into view and he hesitantly reached for my wrist. I didn't move and waited patiently. When he touched my wrist, I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

But I felt the electricity traveling through us.

He flinched away and I frowned.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I actually…like your touch," I softly confessed, my cheeks glowing pink.

His hand returned slowly and he gently wrapped his left hand around my right wrist.

"Does it hurt?"

"It did but not too much anymore," I softly spoke. He stroked the marks lightly and continued driving.

Five minutes later, we reached our house and his hand was still touching my wrist.

"How did you where I lived?"

"It's a small town." He smirked at me.

"Oh, ok then," I said suspiciously.

I didn't get out of the car though. I didn't want this night to end.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I blurted out.

"Most likely yes."

"Well, see you later, Ikuto." I smiled at him and opened the door to step out.

He clutched onto my right arm a little too tightly, bringing me close to him. He shifted closer and pulled me in so that we were hugging. He closed the car door that I had just opened.

"God, I really shouldn't be doing this but I can't resist any longer," he murmured against my ear, and exhaled, causing shivers to run down my back.

"I-Ikuto?" I slowly said, questioning his motives. What brought this on? But I'm not complaining I really like this, to be honest.

He lowered his head to my neck and my breathing hitched.

"You should get some cover-up to conceal these hickeys. Those bastards…" All the while, our voices were hushed and quiet for some reason. He moved his head back up to my ear.

"U-Um, I don't have cover-up," I said, embarrassed.

"Don't worry, I'll get Rima to give you some. You'll find some on your desk tomorrow morning."

"Um, you don't have—"

"I want to." He hugged me tighter. "And I don't want people getting ideas or bombarding you with a million questions."

"True. Ok, thanks, Ikuto. But how are you going to put it on my desk?"

"I'll find a way."

Then he bit my earlobe. He _bit _it. Oh. My. Fucking. God.

I screamed for a short second and held my ear, backing away from him, my back against the door.

"Ikuto, you're such a pervert!"

He laughed and leaned in. He whispered into my ear that he had just bitten, "I'll see you tomorrow..." He kissed underneath my ear and then my cheek. My heart thumped a million miles an hour. "_Amu_," he seductively finished. He opened the car door for me and I nearly fell out, head first.

I got out of the car in a daze and he left.

The rest of the night was a daze for me.

I remembered Tsumugu's shocked face when he saw mine. Luckily, he didn't notice the hickeys or paid no attention to it. I remember taking a bath and slipping into my pajamas. Then I had fallen on my bed, my thoughts a mess.

Tsukiyomi Ikuto, the hottest guy of the school and could be of the whole world, kissed _me_, Hinamori Amu, on the cheek. And twice!

I was in shock. I wonder how I'm going to face him tomorrow. Should I play it cool?

I shook my head furiously. I'm thinking way too much about this! Well, I should at least have a decent outfit for tomorrow…argh, just go to sleep, Amu!

I missed Ikuto already and I wish he can hold me forever.

**X-x-X**

**Finished on April 4, 2010.**

_Tempura_ – a popular Japanese dish of seafood or vegetables that have been battered and deep fried

_Udon_ – a type of thick wheat-flour noodle; usually served as noodle soup in a mildly flavored broth

_Sushi_ – cooked vinegar rice, which is commonly topped with other ingredients such as fish or other seafood, put into rolls

_(Taken from Wikipedia)_

**Finished in record time *O* I am so proud of myself. xD But unfortunately, spring break has ended ): Well, almost. Today's the last day. So updates will return to its normal snail pace -___- But I have testing next week for 3 weeks so just **_**maybe**_** teachers will be more lenient with homework because the testing is only an hour each day. For three weeks (Oh lord…). So I hope I have **_**some**_** time to update. But I'm also writing my own book!! I hope it can be published one day (:**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter (: It's longer than most of it. And sorry if there were some inaccurate information. I completely forgot the backgrounds of the characters here DX **

**Oh and I've created a **formspring **account. The link is on my profile under **Accounts** but the username is just **Natsuya801923**. If you have any questions regarding my fanfictions or whatever, post the question there and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I think you can ask me privately there too or it just won't show up on my profile. I'm not sure; I'm still not used to it yet.**

**I think I'll update **Save Me **next. I already have a page written down.**

**And if you guys have time, check out my one-shots. I need some constructive criticism on those.**

**Please review (:**

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	9. Erratic Heartbeat

**I, like, just had a lot of ideas for this story. :D But I'm trying to think of who will play James. ._. Any ideas? I think I practically used every possible Shugo Chara! character that could fit his character. Actually, none of them fit James sadistic character -.- *sigh* So troublesome… XD**

**Thank you to these reviewers:**

CrAzYaNiMeFrEaKgUrL, ShugoCharaLuvr, xheyxhaleyx, Amuto-4eva, Midnight-Monster, X Ikutos luva X, xxToxicMemoryxx, Foxgrl18, Elya424, XxDiamondForeverxX, EdLovesWritting, Sunsetamuto, Sukiya62, The Ever-Blue Alchemist, MaikaKitsune18, sunsetamuto, FlowerFairy9751

**To **xxToxicMemoryxx**, when I got an email saying you reviewed my story, I was like ":DDDDD". Then I checked the mail and I realized you only wrote four words. ): I felt sad afterwards. ): Then I checked the reviews on the review page of this story and realized you wrote a longer review. xD I didn't even scroll down the email thing because I was on my iPod. xD Thank you for your kind review!**

**To **XxDiamondForeverxX**, when I got your review, I was like, "WHOA! :O" Because I didn't think a good author like you would review my sucky stories. xD But thanks, partner ;D Hope you are doing well! I know it'll be fine. (: **

**To **Kurai Tenshi-1214**, although you didn't review chapter 8, I want to thank you (again) for your long and wonderful review. ^_^ And your review made me realize that I haven't updated this story in a while. ): But here's an update! ;D And it's gonna have a BIG cliffhanger ;O**

**I was truly happy when I got this amount of reviews. Lately, I haven't been getting much and I understand because it's due to my lack of updates. But I got more than the last chapter and I hope I get the same amount or more for this chapter. (: **

**Thanks to you readers for bearing with me for practically a year or two of slow updates XD Be prepared for a somewhat Amuto-filled chapter :3 I hope -.- Unless my mind changes some stuff but I doubt it. (And this author's note is getting too long… xD)**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way._

_**X-x-Flashback of Chapter 8-x-X**_

_The rest of the night was a daze for me._

_I remembered Tsumugu's shocked face when he saw mine. Luckily, he didn't notice the hickeys or paid no attention to it. I remember taking a bath and slipping into my pajamas. Then I had fallen on my bed, my thoughts a mess._

_Tsukiyomi Ikuto, the hottest guy of the school and could be of the whole world, kissed __me__, Hinamori Amu, on the cheek. And twice!_

_I was in shock. I wonder how I'm going to face him tomorrow. Should I play it cool?_

_I shook my head furiously. I'm thinking way too much about this! Well, I should at least have a decent outfit for tomorrow…argh, just go to sleep, Amu!_

_I missed Ikuto already and I wish he can hold me forever._

_**X-x-End of Flashback-x-X**_

**X-x-X**

**Erratic Heartbeat**

**Amu's POV**

Subconsciously, I dressed up a bit more than usual for school today. I slapped my forehead and scolded myself. Why should I get dressed up when there's no special occasion? It's not like I'm trying to impress Ikuto.

…Screw it, I _am _trying to be a bit more dressy today because of _him_.

Last night seemed like a blur to me. I was sexually harassed by drunk teens right after shopping with my friends to prepare for the Halloween Party. (I'm not going though.) And then Ikuto appeared out of nowhere and saved my virginity. (Sounds weird but it's true.) And then we had a "date" I guess.

My cheeks burned as I kept replaying the scene in my head. The part where Ikuto kissed me. (Oh the cheek, though.) I slapped my cheeks lightly and shook my head, ridding my heads of these thoughts.

I glanced at the mirror one more time and frowned. I was wearing a dressy top with a mid-thigh skirt. My hair was curled and I had put on some make-up. (As Ikuto promised, I found cover-up on my desk this morning. But I still don't know _how_ it got there…) Am I trying too hard? Actually, just what am I trying to accomplish with this?

Sighing, I left the room since I was running late. I grabbed a banana, mints, and gum (I really _am _trying too hard just a little.) so my breath won't stink. I hopped into my car and drove to school quickly. Once I parked my car, I stepped out of it and sighed again.

"Amu-chan!"

I turned to the voice and found Daichi jogging towards me. I gave him a smile. "Hey, Daichi, what's up?"

"Nothing much." His eyes widened a little.

"What's wrong?"

"You...look really cute today," he complimented with a light blush.

I bet I was blushing too. "Thanks."

"Your hair is pretty when it's curled. You should have it like this more often." His fingers combed through my hair gently, making me feel slightly uncomfortable. I also felt bad because I knew Ran liked Daichi.

"Let's get to class," I suggested. He agreed and we soon heard the bell.

"Crap," he muttered. He grabbed my hand and ran towards the entrance. While we were sprinting towards homeroom, I glanced at his hand in mine. I felt like such a bad friend towards Ran. I have to tell Daichi that I can't accept his feelings and to move on. I should set them up on a date or something...

He opened the door as both of us tried to catch our breaths. Nikaidou-sensei looked up at us and wrote something on a sheet of paper—probably the attendance sheet.

"That's one late for both Saito-san and Himamori-san."

I looked down and noticed that his hand was still clutching mine. I blushed a bit before pulling my hand back. He turned to look at me, a blush on his face as well. He muttered an apology to me before we retreated to our assigned seats.

My heart pounded rapidly as I saw my classmate, who was also my savior from the last night. I sat down and took a peek from under my bangs. Ikuto was glaring at...whatever he was looking at. I tried to see what he was glaring at but his gaze was directed towards the chalkboard. I gave him a puzzled look but he didn't turn to look at me. I felt a little upset and started to doodle in my notebook.

"Hi, Amu."

I looked up and smiled. "Hi, Rima."

"You look cute today."

A blush instantly spread across my cheeks. "Thanks."

"Any special occasion?" I saw her glance towards Ikuto and my blush increased ten-fold. Dammit, dammit, dammit!

"I just thought I would try something different." Then I remembered something. "Oh, here's your cover-up. I think it's yours?" I said it as a question since I wasn't sure if it really was hers.

"Oh, thanks. I was wondering why Ikuto just came into my room and took it."

I arched an eyebrow questioningly at Ikuto, asking with my expression if that was true or not. He muttered something under his breath and turned away. Rima had a triumphant smirk on her face. I shrugged to myself and returned to my drawing.

As the announcements were said, I stole another glance towards Ikuto. The second I did, I wish I hadn't.

He was gazing right back.

I swore he would give me a heart attack one day since my heartbeat accelerated to an inhuman speed.

His hand slid a piece of notebook paper towards me. My eyebrows furrowed and I noticed one word in neat handwriting scrawled on the paper.

_Hey._

I arched an eyebrow. I wrote back quickly and pushed it towards him.

_Since when did you pass notes?_

He smirked slightly and wrote back.

_Since now._

_Since you've "given up," does that mean you'll treat me like a normal classmate from now on?_

He scribbled down his answer. _Maybe._

_You're so vague. In more ways than one._

_I know. And I plan to keep it that way._

I huffed quietly and turned away, not bothering to respond. I felt the piece of paper nudge my arm and I glanced down at it with curiosity.

_You look cute today._

Saying my face turned pink would be an understatement. I'm not even sure what color it was. All I knew was that my face felt extremely hot and my heart was beating erratically.

_Um, thanks._

_You know, you seem really close with that Saito kid._

Was he possibly...jealous? Although the chance of that being true is less than one percent, I can't help but feel overjoyed that he would actually care if I was with another guy.

_We're just friends._

_Friends don't hold hands like that._

He saw our hands linked together? I lifted my head and noticed Ikuto glaring holes through Daichi's back. My cheeks flushed even more, if that was even possible. I'm almost sure he was jealous and that made me so happy.

_Don't worry; we're nothing like that. It just happened. He was just helping me make it to class so we won't get in any huge trouble._

He _doesn't feel the same way you do. You can just tell from the way he treats you._

_I'll make it clear that I only see him as a friend._

_Good._

My eyes widened a bit and I looked at Ikuto but he was facing away from me. I looked down at my hands and smiled to myself.

He was jealous.

**X-x-X**

**Normal POV**

After school, the Tsukiyomi siblings made their way to Ikuto's car. As soon as they were out of the parking lot and away from the students of Seiyo, Kukai started his teasing.

"Ikuto and Hinamori sitting in a tree~ K-I-S—"

"Talk again and I'll rip your head off."

Rima had shotgun and was smirking at Ikuto with amusement. She found teasing her brother about her friend to be quite entertaining. She wondered what Amu would do if she brought Ikuto up in a subject... She then saw images in her head of a bright pink Amu at school. So guess she's going to ask Amu at school about Ikuto, huh?

Kukai gasped in mock horror. "How could you say that to your brother?"

"Kukai, shut up," Utau said, looking out the window. At times like these, Ikuto was really thankful Utau was on his side. "And why would Ikuto choose _her_? She's so..._average_."

Ikuto frowned. _'Not true at all.'_ Ikuto thought she was amusing, kind, and beautiful. But he's never going to admit that to his family.

"I find Amu-chan to be a very nice girl with unique qualities, unlike most girls at school. She's one of the few people I've met that are actually innocent and kind, inside and out."

"Fujisaki has the hots for Hinamori?" Kukai nudged him with his elbow. "Ikuto, guess you've got some competition!"

Nagihiko rolled his eyes. "Kukai, you know Rima is my girlfriend and my feelings won't change."

"They better not," Rima retorted, crossing her arms and pouting.

Nagihiko smiled at her from behind. "Yeah, they won't. Promise." His hand grasped onto her shoulder in a reassuring manner. Rima smiled a bit, using her right hand to cover his large hand.

"Aw, you two are so cute," Kukai cooed.

Rima shot a glare at him. "Talk again and I'll kick you out of this country."

Kukai gaped in mock horror. "But I'm your favorite brother!"

Nagihiko chuckled quietly and Rima was rolling her eyes.

They reached their mansion-like house that was surrounded by trees. The siblings piled out of the car.

"Still, Ikuto was probably ready to just rip of Saito's head! You should have seen his face when Saito touched Hinamori's hair!"

A backpack-sized boulder was thrown at Kukai, who dodged it in the nick of time. He was howling with laughter. If Ikuto could blush, his blush could give Amu's blush a run for its money.

"And you were glaring at Saito-san with flames in your eyes when he held Amu's hand today in homeroom," Rima teased.

"Rima, shut the fuck up," Ikuto growled.

"What's all the commotion about?" Souko asked, stepping out of the front door.

"Ikuto has the hots for a girl~!" Kukai sang. Ikuto made a move to kick him but Kukai jumped up and was by Utau's side in a blink of an eye.

"Ikuto, don't attack your sibling," their mother chided. "But tell me about this girl you're interested in." She was smiling widely at Ikuto, who in return groaned. With lightning speed, Ikuto entered his house and most likely hid in his room from the endless teasing his brother gave him.

Ikuto sighed, brushing his hair back. He got his iPod and indulged himself in classical music as he plopped down on his sofa.

"Just what is she to me?"

His thoughts were scattered all over the place. He found Amu very amusing-especially her reactions to his teasing-and different from other girls, like Nagihiko said. But what about her makes her stand out from the rest of the girls? Sure, she's pretty (Ikuto would know since his opinion matched every guy in school's opinion) but he's seen prettier ones before. Is it because she's immune to his "ability"?

He rolled over onto his side.

_'What is she to me?'_

**X-x-X**

"You have to bring this Amu-chan to our house some time! She sounds simply wonderful!" Souko clapped her hands together, beaming at her adopted children.

"But Souko, she's a _human_," Utau pointed out in an annoyed tone.

"That's true but this is the first time Ikuto's really interested in a girl," Souko reasoned.

"He's totally in love with Hinamori! You can so tell."

"Kukai, your life is in danger if you continue to tease Ikuto," Rima warned from the couch while playing with her hair.

Kukai laughed and hollered, "Tsukiyomi, it's true!"

He earned a growl in response from upstairs.

Souko giggled quietly and resumed cleaning the house. The rest of the siblings either went to their bedrooms or hung out in the living room.

Knowing Ikuto could hear, she thought, _'I'm so glad you finally found someone, Ikuto.'_

She heard a groan in response from his bedroom. She smiled and started to chat quietly with Aruto, her husband, who just returned home.

**X-x-X**

**Amu's POV**

I was humming a random tune while taking my shower. I lathered the scented shampoo on my hair.

I still couldn't forget what Ikuto wrote on the paper today.

_'You look cute today.'_

My eyes squeezed together and my hands clapped my two warm cheeks a few times. It was shocking and embarrassing! Should I dress up tomorrow as well? No, that might seem I'm desperate or something. Ugh, this is so confusing!

But I was really happy when he told me that.

I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around myself. Tsumugu was out with his friends so I had the house to myself. I walked out of the bathroom and headed for my bedroom while adjusting the towel around my body. I continued humming and realized it was the tune from the music box.

Ever since I received it, I've been listening to it quite a lot. Practically every chance I get to listen everyday. I'll probably listen to it now while doing my homework.

I let my damp hair flow freely down and I opened the door to my bedroom. I sighed quietly and looked up.

It took me all my strength to do anything but scream bloody murder.

"W-What are you doing in my room?" I stammered, immediately covering my chest with my arms. In my room, was Tsukiyomi Ikuto, who looked to be ready to leave the room via balcony. His eyes were wide and he slowly stood up straight.

"How did you even get up here?" I asked in disbelief. He couldn't have climbed up here through the balcony since the closest tree wasn't that near the balcony.

"Rima told me to return this," he said, pointing to my notes from school. "She insisted I just leave it in your room."

"You could've gone through the front door," I pointed out. Strangely, I'm not mad at him. I'm just surprised.

"I didn't want to interrupt whatever you were doing so I kind of just snuck into your room."

Subconsciously, I flushed. The last part of his sentence sounded like we were forbidden lovers or something.

"Also, your dad might not have been pleased to see a boy in his house, am I correct?"

"Good point." But something dawned on me and I narrowed my eyes. How did he know? For all he knew, Tsumugu could've preferred his daughter to have a guy over her house. (Highly unlikely in my situation.)

There was an awkward silence between us and I shifted uncomfortably between my feet.

"Um..." I started. Way to go, Amu, that's such a smart thing to say!

"Are we still going this Saturday?" he interceded with a question.

"Well, I already bought the stuff I needed to get so I don't need to leave town this weekend."

"Are you going to the Halloween Party then?"

I shook my head. "I think I'll pass. And thanks for offering me a ride, even if I'm not going."

"Then are you free this weekend?" he questioned with a bit of hope.

"Yeah, I think so."

"Remember I told you I was going to show you something this Saturday during our conversation over the phone?"

I nodded slowly. "I think so."

"I still want to show you that place. Will your father mind if I borrow you for a day?"

My face went pink at that. "H-He doesn't care much as long as I don't return too late."

"Good." He had a small smile on his face that made my heart race. "I'll pick you up on Saturday around 5?"

I nodded. "That's fine."

"I'll take my leave then." Before I could mutter anything, he was gone. I rushed to the balcony and didn't see any trace of him. He couldn't have possibly disappeared so quickly.

Unless he was considered part of the supernatural like...

_Vampires_.

Tadase-kun's story about the "cold ones" made the hairs on my back stand on end. Were the Tsukiyomis called the "cold ones"? Oh, I wish I knew!

I sat down on my bed, letting out a deep breath. I hurried and changed into my pajamas. It was so embarrassing just now since I was only in a towel in front of Ikuto, a really _hot_ guy.

Life was so cruel.

**X-x-X**

On Wednesday, a new orchestra member was added in. And guess who it was?

"Ok, so we have a new student joining our orchestra today. He'll be among the first violinists so if he needs any help, you guys can help him." The new member thanked the conductor and took his spot.

The whole time, I was gaping at him. Since when was he interested in joining the orchestra at our school? He's famous so there's no need for him to.

He looked at me and gave me a smirk and a wink. Oh god, I could feel my cheeks heating up.

Oh the things Ikuto could do to make my face resemble a tomato.

I was so nervous while playing the accompaniment part that I made several mistakes along the way. Even though the director let it slide, I was frustrated at myself.

All through practice, Ikuto kept staring at me from time to time.

On Thursday, I went into the music room to practice piano after school since I didn't have a piano at home. I have to ask Tsumugu if I can get a keyboard or something...

I checked to see if anyone was here. Nope, coast was clear. The thing is, practicing in front of people was not my cup of tea. I would prefer if nobody would hear me practice.

I played the songs I had to for the orchestra for about half an hour. I put the music away and then I fiddled around with the notes. Secretly, I was trying to play the melody I heard from the music box. It's hard to play by ear but there's no sheet music. So far, I have half the song down in my memory. Maybe I should bring my music box in for practice...

I twisted my head to release the tension in my muscles. My eyes laid on the door and my eyes went wide as saucers.

Why was it that I'm seeing Ikuto everywhere?

"I just had to get my violin. You can keep playing if you'd like."

"No, I was about to leave anyways." I gathered my stuff and stuffed it in my backpack while he collected his violin.

"You play piano well. What was the name of the last song you were playing?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know, to be honest. It's from this music box I have."

"Music box?" He gave me a questioning look as we walked out of the music room. I initially thought it might've been Ikuto who gave me the present and he even played violin himself. (He's very talented at it by the way-he was named concertmaster at the end of rehearsal.) Maybe it wasn't him...

"Yeah, I received it as a birthday present."

"Who gave it to you?"

"I don't know," I quietly whispered as we reached the parking lot. "I would like to know who but maybe I'll never know." I exhaled deeply, closing my eyes for a few seconds.

"It's a nice tune though," he commented.

"Yeah, it is," I softly agreed. I reached my truck and turned to look at him. "Um, see you tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Later, Amu." He winked and walked away, leaving my face pink once again.

Before I could stop myself, I called out, "Ikuto!"

He turned around. "What is it?"

"Um..." My fingers twiddled around nervously. "Why did you join the orchestra?"

He gave me a long look that made me uncomfortable. What felt like eternity, he finally responded. "Because someone else joined it so I thought I would join it as well."

"Someone...else? But no one joined it recently."

"There was one. See you." He waved the walked towards his car.

I sat in my car, puzzled. Who was he talking about? Who recently joined the orchestra?

My eyes widened and I looked in the rearview mirror in my car. My face was very red indeed like the inside of a watermelon. At this newfound revelation, many new questions sprung up in my mind and I wondered if he was kidding or not...

The "someone" he was talking about...

Was me.

**X-x-X**

**Originally, I was going to include the really exciting part in here but the chapter came out too long. 22 pages. xD I was going to just upload the whole chapter but then I became the stupidest idiot on the entire earth.**

**I deleted the chapter from my iPod. I had tears and just wanted to bang my head on the table. I had the chapter in my email but not the exciting part! D: It's not that long but it was intense man! DX **

**But I will hopefully update this again before Tuesday, the day school starts. T.T **

**I want to update **Crossing Paths **on my birthday, **September 10th. **Except I have major writer's block. T.T I just can't put the ideas down on the computer! DX Eh, I'll think of something.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter even though it was fail. DX **

**Next chapter will be much better and with major Amuto moments! :DD **

**Please review! :] They brighten my day and motivate me to update! :D**


	10. A Thorn Was All It Took

**Quick update FTW. :] School's starting. D: Boohoo. I wanna see if I can update this before tomorrow… Doubt it but it's worth a try.**

**Thank you to these reviewers:**

CrAzYaNiMeFrEaKgUrL, Sukiya62, Foxgrl18, xheyxhaleyx, FlowerFairy9751, Shugo CharaLuvr, The Ever-Blue Alchemist

**Thanks for the birthday wishes!**

**Also, a shout-out to **CrAzYaNiMeFrEaKgUrL**, because he birthday was on the 4****th****. I would also like to thank you so much for always reviewing practically all my stories and staying with me from the very beginning. I really appreciate it! I hope you had a great birthday and enjoy this chapter (:**

**To **xXYou-Know-You-Hate-MeXx**, in the beginning, it is VERY similar to **_Twilight_**. But I'm sure as you read on, there will be some changes from the plot. I suddenly had this idea and it's different from the real plot so I hope you will read it. You might not since you probably stopped at chapter 1 but I hope you can read on and notice changes as the story progresses.**

**The end of this chapter will be very exciting (in my opinion) and be prepared for a major cliffhanger. :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Shugo Chara! in any way.**

_**X-x-Flashback of Chapter 9-x-X**_

_Before I could stop myself, I called out, "Ikuto!"_

_He turned around. "What is it?"_

_"Um..." My fingers twiddled around nervously. "Why did you join the orchestra?"_

_He gave me a long look that made me uncomfortable. What felt like eternity, he finally responded. "Because someone else joined it so I thought I would join it as well."_

_"Someone...else? But no one joined it recently."_

_"There was one. See you." He waved the walked towards his car._

_I sat in my car, puzzled. Who was he talking about? Who recently joined the orchestra?_

_My eyes widened and I looked in the rearview mirror in my car. My face was very red indeed like the inside of a watermelon. At this newfound revelation, many new questions sprung up in my mind and I wondered if he was kidding or not..._

_The "someone" he was talking about..._

_Was me._

_**X-x-End of Flashback-x-X**_

**X-x-X**

**A Thorn Was All It Took**

Saturday came and right now, it was some time in the afternoon. Tsumugu was at work until 6 and then he would go out with some friends. I already left some sushi if he wanted some and a note. Yes, I told him beforehand but it didn't go as well as I suspected...

**Flashback:**

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Amu-chan, how was school?" he asked cheerfully, hanging up his coat.

"It was good. Hungry?"

"Starving." He smiled at me and we sat down across from each other. He took a bite of the rice and he praised, "Amu-chan, this is delicious! You should become a chef!"

"Ha ha, I'm not _that_ good."

We continued eating in a comfortable silence until I broke it.

"Um, I'll be going somewhere this Saturday evening."

"The Halloween Party, right?" he asked, swallowing his food.

"Um, no, I'm not going. These kinds of parties aren't really my thing."

"You should go Amu-chan! It'll be fun. Just no hanging out with boys!" he said, putting on his "over-protective" face.

I smiled a little to myself. "It's okay. Someone else invited me to go somewhere."

"Well, if you say so. I guess it's fine. Who are you going with?" He took a big spoonful of fried rice into his mouth.

Here I go...! "Tsukiyomi Ikuto."

His eyes bulged and he choked on the rice. I ran to the sink and fetched him water. He chugged it down, coughing a bit. I didn't think he would be _that_ surprised.

"What? Another Tsukiyomi kid?"

"Honestly, Dad, what do you have against the Tsukiyomis?" I asked, sitting back down.

"It's nothing really. Well one, they're pretty famous so harm might come to you from the paparazzi or something. Two, they just seem…mysterious and suspicious."

"Dad, they're not gonna harm anyone. I'm friends with them," I reminded. "I'm good friends with Rima. Don't you remember she came to our house?"

"Yes," he said slowly. "But I didn't get a chance to talk to her."

"That's because you weren't home. She's a nice girl, Dad."

"I know that. Their whole family is polite."

"So…can I go this Saturday?" I asked hopefully.

"Papa will be REALLY sad if you go with a boy! And by yourself too!" He sniffed and gave me his pleading puppy look. Luckily for me, I've had practice since Mom always used this secret weapon on me.

"Papa, it's not like we're gonna DO anything, if you catch my drift. Don't worry too much."

He sniffled and pouted. "If anything happens to you, your mother will have my head."

"I'm prone to accidents anyways. She knows that too. Please, Papa?"

He sighed. "All right, fine. But remember—don't do anything inappropriate with him!"

I laughed softly. "Roger that."

**End of Flashback**

At least he agreed. I went back to the problem I had: what outfit should I wear? If I wear a casual dress or a skirt, would I be trying too hard? If I just wore jeans, would that be too casual? What if we're going to a fancy place? God, this was confusing!

I settled for a red, black, and white plaid skirt that was mid-thigh length. I had this white blouse that hugged my curves and its sleeves reached my elbows. I grabbed some red and black bangles, sliding them onto my left forearm. For shoes, black boots that reached below the knees with red laces were my choice. For my hair, I had a side ponytail on the ride side of my head.

I examined myself in the mirror, turning this way and that. I guess I look fine. Luckily, it was relatively warm out.

The doorbell rang, causing me to jump a little. I gulped, suddenly feeling very, _very_ nervous. I took two deep breaths and walked to the front door. I opened it, showing Ikuto in skinny jeans, a tight white shirt, and a zip-up hoodie. Even if he was wearing simply clothes, he still looked hot. His abs were perfect too...

"Hey, you ready?" he asked, snapping me out of my reverie. I nodded and locked the door as we walked to his car. "You look nice." He gave me a small smirk/smile that sent my heart fluttering.

"T-Thanks. You look good too."

We piled into his (expensive) car and locked in our seatbelts. He scrolled down the windows and I inhaled deeply. Even though it was cloudy, it wasn't that cold.

"You shouldn't drive like a maniac this time," I recommended.

"You should be a good passenger and not comment on my driving."

"Ikuto."

"Again, we're not going crash," he said, backing out of the driveway.

"You're gonna get a ticket."

"Never did and never will." He grinned. I shook my head, knowing he won't listen.

Soon enough, we were on the highway and he was going 80 mph. I swear to god, we're going to crash!

"Amu." He looked at me and heaved a sigh.

"Keep your eyes on the road!" I commanded, panicked.

"I rather look at you than the road."

My cheeks flushed bright red and I stuttered, "I-Ignore me then! I don't want to crash!"

"You're hard to ignore though. And _again_, we will _not_ crash." To my relief, he paid attention to the road. My right hand went to my cheek and sure enough it was warm. I still think he's bipolar. He gives me the cold shoulder one day—though he doesn't do that anymore because he's "given up"—and he's flirtatious the next! I took a peek at him and stared longer than I wanted to at his profile. He had a well-defined face with the perfect angles. He was very pale and I bet his face must be cold. Today, his eyes are violet with a touch of violet... I wonder why his eyes always change colors…

"Something on my face?"

I jumped a little and knew I was busted. Tearing his gaze away from the road, he gave me a smirk.

"Or were you admiring my face?"

My mouth dropped and I stammered, "What—you—I wasn't—I was just—ugh, forget it!" I let out a "hmph" and faced the window. He let out a soft chuckle and continued to drive.

He put some music on—classical music.

"This song is beautiful." I closed my eyes, absorbing the high notes of the string instruments. Their notes were swirling around in my mind as I smiled.

"You like classical music?"

I nodded. "It's very calming." I let out a content sigh and sat back. "Hey, where are we going?"

"It's a surprise."

"Hey, that's no fair!"

"Why should I spoil the surprise?" he questioned, giving me his smirk.

"What if I don't like surprises?"

"Too bad." He stuck his tongue out at me, making me a bit aggravated.

We've been driving for 20 minutes and according to Ikuto, we're more than halfway there.

"I think you should at least give me a hint."

"They say that curiosity killed the cat but in this case, strawberry would be the more appropriate term." He smirked at me, turning into an exit.

I blushed and surveyed my surroundings. All you could see was trees. And more trees.

"I think you'll like it. It's a great place."

I smiled at him and sat back, enjoying the wind blowing my hair back. I mindlessly hummed a tune, not really caring if Ikuto was there. Well, kind of. But compared to when I first met him, I feel less nervous and intimidated. Being with him like this felt...nice.

"You're humming that song again."

"What song?" I asked, halting my humming.

"The song you always play on the piano. The one from the music box."

"Oh. That. I didn't even realize it."

"You must love the song a lot," he noted.

"Yeah...I guess I do." I rested my elbow by the window with my chin in my palm. I continued humming the song and I guess I was singing softly under my breath because Ikuto commented on it.

"You have a nice voice."

I blushed and thanked him.

"Could you close your eyes for the rest of the ride?"

"Why?"

"Because it's a surprise."

I pouted. "Meanie." But I did so anyways. I felt self-conscious when I felt him gaze at me.

"Hey, watch the road!"

"But I'm looking at the road."

"No, you weren't. I could _feel_ you looking at me."

"You can't know that for sure. Your eyes are closed."

I frowned, knowing this was going nowhere. "You know what, just forget it."

About ten minutes later, the car stopped. I unbuckled my seatbelt. Well, tried to actually. It was locked shut and stuck. Suddenly, my car door opened and I could hear waves crashing. Are we at a beach?

"Need help with that?" he offered.

I nodded and let his hands do undo the lock. I could sense his right hand near my left thigh and his left hand was slightly touching my other thigh. His cool breath fanned my face as he tried to get the lock undone. My face flushed bright red at the close proximity of his head.

The seatbelt came undone and went back to its original position. I thanked him and hopped out of the car. With my eyes still closed, I took a few steps forward.

Bad idea. I tripped on a rock and fell forward. Before I could even open my eyes, Ikuto had caught me from the front.

"Whoa, careful, Amu. And keep your eyes closed."

I frowned. "But I can pretty much guess where we are."

"Yeah, but the surprise is the view of it. Come."

Easier said than done. I took a few tentative steps and already guessed that Ikuto was way ahead of me.

"Need help?" I heard him say.

"Yes, please." I felt his hand grasped mine as he pulled me forward. His hand was so cold yet I felt an electric shock all the same. My feet touched the sand and I could hear and smell the waves. I felt his hand let go of mine, making me disappointed.

"You can open your eyes now."

My eyelids rose and my eyes widened.

The view was absolutely _beautiful_. The water was a pretty blue color and the waves were crashing against each other softly. The sunset was perfect. Tones of orange, pink, purple, blue, and yellow colored the sky and around the sun, which was almost gone. The reflection on the water made it shimmer brightly.

"It's so pretty," I quietly said in awe.

"It is," he agreed.

"Where is this?"

"It's near the north of Japan on the west coast. No one really goes here since it's fall and also because this beach isn't really well-known."

"How'd you find this place, then?"

"Luck, maybe?" he said, grinning. "I was driving and went past by this. I often go here to take my mind off things."

I nodded understandingly. I took off my boots hastily and walked forward into the water until it was right above my ankles. The water felt so cool and nice. I inhaled the wonderful scent and kicked the water a bit. I turned on my heel, noticing Ikuto just standing there. I waved at him.

"Don't just stand there! Take your shoes off too!"

"I'd rather watch."

I frowned and practically skipped towards him. I grabbed his hand, surprising the both of us (mostly him), and said, "Don't tell me you were planning to just stand there. That's so boring."

His eyes twinkled with curiosity and mischief. "Basically, you just want me by your side."

"Wha—" I blushed as I continued to drag him to the water. "What are you talking about, you arrogant idiot!"

He laughed, making me huff in anger. I let go of his hand and ran into the water until it reached my knees. I turned around and saw that Ikuto was right behind me. I gasped and moved back, causing me to lose my footing. Before I fell into the water, he wrapped his right arm around my waist, pulling me to his chest.

"How do you do that? You just poof out of nowhere!"

"It's magic," he responded with a straight face.

I burst out laughing and teased, "You look so stupid saying that."

His eyebrow twitched and I giggled. He suddenly smirked as I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. What was he thinking?

Cold water splashed onto my face all of a sudden.

My mouth formed an "o" as I wiped my face. "What the heck!"

"This is my kind of fun." He winked at me and started to aim more water at me.

I grinned at him. "Oh yeah?" I kicked my foot up and a big wave made his lower body wet. I backed up and took aim but he was in front of me before I could respond. Water hit my face and I blinked rapidly.

"Hey, no fair! You just materialize in front of me in a millisecond!"

"Like I said, it's magic." He smirked and splashed more water at me. I laughed and a water fight ensued. We backed up until the water hit out waists and we were just a couple yards away. I took a step back and tripped. _Again_. Seriously, how clumsy can I get? I fell into the water and before I could react, I was already above the water in Ikuto's arms.

"Geez, you're such a klutz." His arms around me, making it seem like a hug. I blushed until my face resembled a cherry as I pushed him away with my hands on his chest. Then I sneezed, making him chuckle.

"Wanna head back?"

I nodded. He took my hand, making me flush yet again. Once we got out of the water, he turned to face me and scratched the back of his head with an apologetic face.

"Sorry, I didn't bring any towels. I didn't think we would go in the water."

"That's ok. I'm fine."

"You'll catch a cold, though." He frowned and his eyes went down for a second. He turned away quickly. I looked down myself and saw that he could see my bra. I blushed scarlet and turned around, covering my chest.

"I'll see if I have anything useful to help dry us off." He jogged back to the car while I sat down. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. I thought my heart might explode. Then I heard footsteps behind me and when I turned my head, a towel landed on my face.

"Turns out someone left it in my car," he said with a wry smile. I shrugged my shoulders. We dried ourselves and I wrapped the towel around my body to conceal my chest. We walked along the edge of the water, grabbing our shoes along the way.

"Thanks for taking me here."

"No problem."

"Hey, why didn't you go to the Halloween Party?" I questioned curiously, kicking the sand around as we strolled.

"Not my thing."

I laughed. "Really? When people look at you, they tend to think that you probably love parties and the like."

"Those don't appeal to me and probably never will. Girls always try to kiss me or something."

I giggled at his annoyed expression. A comfortable silence fell upon us as we strolled along the edge of the water. I looked towards the fading sunset, admiring its gorgeous colors.

"Thanks again for taking me here. I love this place."

"We could always go again."

My heart thumped. Was he asking me out on another date? "That would be great."

As we neared the end of our walk, we reached the woods.

"Do you want to go in the forest?"

I looked towards the sun, noticing we didn't have much sunlight anymore. But it's a quick walk so we shouldn't need it. The moon will provide us with light. "Sure."

We put on our shoes and walked in the woods. The trees seemed so ominous at night and oh so beautiful. I moved my right foot forward and it got caught on a root of a tree. Just _great_. I fell forward and my eyes squeezed shut. My hands instinctively went in front of me to catch myself when I reached the ground. However, my palms hit a firm chest and arms made their way around my waist.

"You really are clumsy. You should watch your step, _Amu_." By the tone of his voice, I knew he was smirking.

"I know that!" I said quickly, embarrassed. I pushed him away (but I did like his arms around me...) and turned away, pouting.

"Come, let's go." I turned my head, glancing at his outstretched hand. Holding back my blush, I took his hand. As we walked hand in hand, I purposely look to the left, my gaze far away from landing on Ikuto. However, I didn't think I could say the same for him because I felt two holes boring into my head.

My eyes laid on this tiny bush of pretty flowers. I walked toward it, pulling on Ikuto's hand. I let go of his hand, crouching down to look at the flowers more clearly. I fingered its violet petals, noticing it resembles Ikuto's eyes a bit, only the flower was a few shades lighter.

"It's so pretty," I softly remarked. A pale hand reached out in front of me, grabbing onto the stem of the flower and snapping it from the roots. I turned around, only to be inches away from Ikuto's face. How come I didn't notice him knelt down next to me? He's way too quiet and sneaky.

"Here you go, princess." He winked and handed me the flower.

Blushing, I responded, "Why thank you."

"Be careful of the thorns." No sooner had he said that, my finger pricked itself on the thorn. I winced in pain, standing up, letting the flower fall to the ground. Blood had started to trickle out of the wound already. I frowned.

"Hey, Ikuto, do you want to head back now?" I examined my cut to see how deep it was. I clamped my mouth over my finger, trying to stop the blood. When I got no response, I glanced down at Ikuto. He was still kneeling on the ground with his head down.

"Ikuto, you ok?" I was beginning to get worried. I shook his shoulder with my uninjured hand.

Before I could even blink, I was thrown to a nearby tree, my body pinned against it. I yelped in pain. Ikuto's body was smoldered against my own and his face was in the crook of my neck. How the heck did he do that in less than a second? When he looked up, my eyes widened in shock.

His eyes were _red_.

"I-Ikuto?" I squeaked out, my voice breaking. He clutched my wrist, bringing my hand to his eye level. He brought his mouth to my bloody finger, sucking on the blood.

"Ikuto, snap out of it!" I stomped on his foot but he didn't seem to notice. After he couldn't get much blood out of my finger anymore, his mouth wandered to my neck. My breath hitched when his lips kissed my neck. His mouth slowly traveled upwards until it stopped on the tip of my mouth. He took in a huge breath, as if smelling me.

And then his lips were on mine.

My mind began to become dizzy and I couldn't think straight. He quickly opened my mouth and his tongue was...licking mine? His mouth soon sucked on my tongue. I tasted the metallic taste of blood in my mouth. Was he _sucking_ the blood I had on my tongue from licking my cut?

He continued to give me his mind-blowing kiss, leaving me breathless. He pulled away and I took in huge gulps of air. He captured my lips again and his hands roamed my body. I turned my head because I need oxygen or I would've died. His lips softly touched mine and he muttered:

"I want..." His lips lowered to my neck again. He began licking it up and down, making shivers crawl up and down my spine.

I gained some resistance and started to push him away to no avail. "Ikuto, this isn't like you. Snap out of it!"

"Amu, I want you..." His hands were in my hair now and his mouth had probably given me multiple hickeys.

My cheeks flushed bright red at his statement. "Ikuto, I'm serious, wake up!"

He looked up and that's when I noticed his mouth, or more specifically his teeth. With the moonlight shining down on us, I could see his protruding _fangs_.

Giving my neck one last lick, he whispered huskily, "Amu..."

"Ikuto!" I hissed, "wake up!"

"Amu, I want _your blood_."

And his fangs pierced my neck. I shrieked and began hitting Ikuto. He began taking large gulps of my blood as he sucked my blood. It hurt so much but yet it felt sensual at the same time. My knees buckled but his lone arm around my waist held me up. His other was busying holding my head to the side, giving him much access.

"I-Ikuto..." My eyes fluttered close but I forced myself to keep them open. I have to make him snap out of it!

When I blinked, Ikuto was off of me and flung to the left. I gasped when someone else appeared in front of me. He caught me before my weak knees buckled.

"I'm so sorry about this, Amu-san." I looked up through half-lidded eyes to see Aruto-san, Ikuto's father and the doctor who treated me from before.

"God dammit, he's such a freaking idiot!" I heard Kukai growl from somewhere to the far left.

"God, this is such a mess," I heard Utau say. A woman I didn't recognize suddenly appeared behind Aruto-san.

"Oh my god, Amu, are you all right?" Rima appeared in front of me with a worried expression on her face. "Aruto, I'm sorry I couldn't see it in time."

"Rima-chan, it's fine. Let's get her to the car." He picked me up bridal style and started to walk out of the woods. "Nagihiko, calm Ikuto down, please." Was the whole family here?

And then I felt the searing pain in my neck, my head, everywhere. I gasped for air and clutched my head.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you as soon as I can." He had already reached the car in no time and buckled both of us up. He sped out of the parking lot and down the road.

My suspicions from before were confirmed.

Ikuto was a vampire.

**X-x-X**

**Cliffy! XO Hope you enjoyed this! Sorry I rushed the end, I have school tomorrow. xD I'm glad I updated this before school started. I hope to update **Crossing Paths **on my birthday, September 10****th****, but that's unlikely. But I do have a day off from school on the 9****th**** so maybe I can? :D Unless the teachers pile up on homework T.T**

**Sorry for any mistakes in this. I didn't have much time to go through this and I practically wrote everything on my iPod too.**

**Please review! (:**


	11. Fear

**Sorry for the late update. I've been caught up with schoolwork and the like. And winter break is almost over. D: I was hoping to update at least twice but that's not happening. T.T But at least I'm updating this one. [:**

**Thank you to these reviewers:**

, jEzzy mISt-miSSy, CrAzYaNiMeFrEaKgUrL, FlowerFairy9751, ShugoCharaLuvr, JayMar, xheyxhaleyx, Sukiya62, XX-SchitsoManiacAmutoLuver-XX, Innocence and Instinct, MaikaKitsune18, Foxgrl18, AmuKuroNekoHime, Xx-Akira-Koi-xX, Glaceon1997

**I see new reviewers [: Yay~ :D Hope you guys review till the end and maybe check out my other one-shots? :D**

**This chapter may not be the most exciting (like the end of last chapter; that was intense yo. ;D) but I don't know how it'll turn out. (I should really start planning my chapters… ._.)**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

_**X-x-Flashback of Chapter 10-x-X**_

_And then I felt the searing pain in my neck, my head, everywhere. I gasped for air and clutched my head._

_"Don't worry, I'll take care of you as soon as I can." He had already reached the car in no time and buckled both of us up. He sped out of the parking lot and down the road._

_My suspicions from before were confirmed._

_Ikuto was a vampire._

_**X-x-End of Flashback-x-X**_

**X-x-X**

**Fear**

**Amu's POV**

I woke up, finding myself lying on a bed in an unfamiliar room. A scorching pain seared my throat and I gasped for breath, clutching my neck. It hurt so, so much. Then, I saw Ikuto's father right beside me. He held me down as I writhed around and shrieked in agony.

"This will hurt but it has to be done, Amu-san," he said gravely. I saw his fangs and fear swept through me. In a split second, his teeth sank into my neck, making me scream. I could feel him sucking the blood out of me. I continued to yell but soon it faded for I've lost consciousness.

**X-x-X**

Ikuto clutched his head and buried it between his knees. The horrible shrieks of Amu sent Ikuto mad.

"It's all my fault, it's all my fault…" he repeatedly mumbled.

"Ikuto, stop it." Utau knelt down beside him. She tried to pry his hands away but he just shoved her away. "It's not your fault. It could've happened to any of us." This caring side of Utau rarely appeared. When it did, it was usually towards Ikuto. As much as she loves Kukai, she still loves Ikuto very much—and maybe more—as a brother and friend. Ikuto had saved Utau's life when she was a hair away from death. Not to mention the numerous times he had helped her, he really was a big part of her life. And it pained her to see the state he was in.

"I don't know what came over me… One second, she had cut her finger and then…I completely lost control," he whispered the last part quietly, agonizing over his mistake.

"Ikuto, like Utau said, it could've happened to anyone. It's partly my fault too; I saw what was going to happen but we were too late. Rima plopped down next to Ikuto, despaired. "I couldn't prevent it from happening… I couldn't stop you in time before my friend…" Rima gazed straight ahead, her face blank but if you observed closely, her expression showed sorrow.

Not liking the atmosphere, Nagihiko changed the atmosphere by calming everyone, especially Ikuto down. Kukai knelt down next to Rima and rubbed her shoulder in a comforting manner.

"She'll be all right. Don't worry," Kukai said.

Souko watched her adopted children from afar. She was upset herself, seeing her children like this. She looked up and prayed that her husband will save Amu.

Another screech erupted from Amu and that was the last straw for Ikuto.

Rima looked at Ikuto, already knowing what he planned to do.

But Ikuto was already gone.

"Rima, where'd Ikuto go?" Utau asked with a bit panic shown in her tone.

"To the north to clear his head. He'll be back in a week." Rima frowned. _'Ikuto, I know you can hear me. Please come back soon.'_

**X-x-X**

My eyelids opened. The first thing I noticed was the pain. It had disappeared, much to my relief. I touched my neck for any abnormalities. It _felt _all right…

"Are you ok, Amu-san?"

I sat up with a jolt, ignoring the headache it caused, and looked to my right, noticing Aruto-san leaning against the far wall. "Um, yeah—I mean, yes."

He chuckled and made his way towards me. I then remembered his fangs and horror washed through me once again. He must've noticed for he stopped.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

Taking his word for it, I relaxed slightly and he walked to me, stopping once we were next to each other.

"Does your throat still hurt? What about your head?" He sat down on the bed across from me.

"What happened?" I blurted out. I didn't want him to stall for time any longer. I needed answers _now_. Then a thought struck me. Where was Ikuto? I peered around the room, searching for the blue-haired man.

"Where is…"

"Ikuto?" he guessed. "He's…drowning himself in guilt and grief."

"What?" I asked in disbelief. I pushed the covers back. "I have to see him."

Aruto-san gently grabbed my forearm, stopping my plan. "Don't, Amu-san. He'll just feel guiltier once he sees your neck. He needs some time alone."

Dejected, I sit back down. "Are the marks on my neck that bad?"

He reached for the drawer in the nightstand and pulled it out. He reached into it and got out a mirror. He gave it to me and I held it up in front of me. My mouth dropped in horror.

"It's not that bad but…" he trailed off, biting his lip.

"How?" I said, not believing the large mark on my neck. Around the two small holes were thick dark red borders. From there, there was a whole web of red lines that extended a few inches.

"It _will _disappear. The lines will be gone within a week and the thick red circles will be gone after a couple of weeks. As for the two holes, it may not be gone for a while. It won't be very noticeable much in the future."

"How come it's like this?" I touched the hole and shivers crawled down my spine.

"Usually, it's not this bad. But because the venom from Ikuto's fangs was in you longer than it should have, marks appeared. I tried to suck out all the venom from your system but some might have lingered. I assure you though that it will not do you any harm. It should quickly fade away by tomorrow. However, when the venom left your body, it must've created this intricate mark on your neck."

I tried to take it all in but other questions popped up in my mind. What will people in the school say about this if they find out? How can I cover this up? What will Tsumugu say about this? He'll absolutely freak out! And what about Rima? Will I be able to talk to her normally again? And what about Ikuto?

"Aruto-san."

"Yes?" He looked up but I think he already knew what I was going to ask next.

"Are you a…vampire?" I whispered the last part so quietly, I doubt he heard me but apparently he did since he sighed.

"It's not fair to you if I kept you in the dark about this. But yes, I'm a vampire. Our whole family is vampires."

I knew this and expected this answer but still, I couldn't stop the shock that raced down my spine.

"You seem as if you knew what we were already," he noted, noticing my blank expression.

"I…kind of researched your background," I admitted sheepishly. "I asked this friend of mine and he told of a story about vampires and my other friend was saying this true story about a girl getting bitten by a vampire, supposedly. I didn't think you guys really were vampires but…I guess I was wrong."

"Are you scared of us now?"

I looked him in the eye and I noted the kindness in his eyes. "N-No."

He smiled and looked down. "I appreciate that. And everything you have done for my children."

I gave him a confused look. "I didn't do anything for them."

"You gave my children friendship and love." He patted my hand but I didn't cringe this time. He stood up and extended his hand out to me. "Shall we go? Rima is anxious to see if you're ok."

I smiled and nodded, taking his hand. Aruto-san hauled me up and led me to the door. We slowly descended the stairs and I saw the whole Tsukiyomi family. I scanned the group but the person that I was most concerned about was not there.

"Amu." Rima walked towards me and stopped in front of me, her eyes filled with worry. "You ok?"

"Yeah," I responded weakly. My eyes darted left and right for I was hoping Ikuto might've been standing off to the side, but I highly doubt it.

Rima must've noticed this for she said, "Ikuto left."

"Left?" My voice cracked because I was shocked and upset. "To where?" I had to see him.

"He'll be back in a week," she said, ignoring my previous question.

"But—"

The loud slam on a table resonated throughout the room. I looked behind Rima and saw Utau standing up. But what amazed (and scared) me was the surface of the table. Her hand had made a crack in the glass surface.

"I can't stand you. It's all your fault," she snarled with absolute hate. She gave me a piercing glare before disappearing into thin air. The slam of the door was heard some milliseconds later. I guess vampires have super-speed.

Kukai sighed and stood up as well. Before he left to go after Utau, he said, "Don't worry about what Utau said. She's just really upset and can't control her emotions. Feel better, Hinamori. And he was gone.

From the corner of the room, Nagihiko said, "Kukai's right. Utau just needs to cool off some steam."

Despite their reassurance, I agreed with what Utau said.

**X-x-X**

I came home the next day—November 1st—during the afternoon. Tsumugu was flipping out but after I explained how I crashed at a friend's place because I wasn't feeling well, he calmed down a little. I don't like lying to him but c'mon, how could I have told him what really happened? 'Oh yeah, I crashed at my friend's place because I got bitten by a vampire.' I don't think that would fare well.

I returned to my bedroom and collapsed onto my comfortable bed, completely exhausted. I turned my phone on and saw that I had 15 missed calls and 5 new text messages. 13 of the 15 calls were from Tsumugu. Geez, now I feel guilty for worrying him. The other two missed calls were from Ran. I wonder what she wanted…

**(5) new text messages!**

**8:28 AM**

**From: Ran**

_Where r u?_

**8:53 AM**

**From: Ran**

_its so boring! D: comee to schoolllll_

**11:46 AM**

**From: Su**

_Are you ok? I hope you're feeling well!_

**1:47 PM**

**From: Daichi**

_hey amu-chan, you feeling ok? hope you feel better_

**2:11 PM**

**From: Tadase**

_hi, how are you? if you want, do you want to come over this weekend? Yaya said she "really really REALLY wanted to see you!" haha. everyone else wants to see you too._

_by the way, i hope you're alright. your dad called our house yesterday to see if you were here. he was panicking a lot. don't worry him too much. his heart can only take so much. hope you're alright!_

I responded to all their texts, explaining how I was feeling under the weather.

**4:33 PM**

**To: Tadase**

_hi tadase-kun! i'm good, you? and sure, that sounds good. tell yaya i said hi (: and he did? i feel really guilty now… and yeah, i won't, don't worry. i wasn't feeling well, that's all. i stayed at a friend's place for the night but i passed out before i could contact my dad haha. i'll see you in a week! (:_

Even though I had adequate rest, I still felt tired. I changed into my pajamas and plopped down onto my bed. I grabbed the music box from the nightstand. I turned the knob and it began playing violin music. I set it down and laid down on my bed. I watched a figurine of myself turn around again and again. I still feel like there's something missing in there… Soon my eyes shut and I fell into a deep slumber.

**X-x-X**

"Amu-chan, are you feeling better? It was so boring yesterday in class without you!" Ran complained, wrapping an arm around my shoulders as we walked to class together.

I laughed at her childish behavior. "Yup, feeling better than ever."

"Amu-chan!"

I spun us around but Ran didn't budge. I turned around myself, ignoring her sudden mood change. "Hey, Daichi."

"You ok?"

I nodded. "I just had a small fever."

"It's good that you're better." He patted my head as he walked past me. "I'll see you later, gotta get to class."

"See you later," I said. I turned to Ran and narrowed my eyes. "What's up with you? That was Daichi. I would think you wanted to talk to him."

"That's why I called you! I wanted to talk to you about what happened at the Halloween Party." We entered the classroom and sat down next to each other. Since our teacher wasn't here yet, we were able to chat about what happened.

"I asked Daichi out at the dance!" she blurted out.

"What? Really? That's great!" I grinned at her. "That's great, Ran."

"But he rejected me," she said, depressed.

"What! How? I thought he had something for you," I said, my eyebrows furrowing.

She shushed me. "Not so loud! And he said he liked someone else… I think it's you, Amu-chan." She looked at me and I felt a pang in my heart. Ran looked so dejected and upset. She liked Daichi so much and he didn't even give her a chance.

"Ran, listen to me. Even if you think he likes me, _I _don't. I would never do that to you. You're a good friend to me." I gave her a smile.

"Aw, Amu-chan, you're awesome!" She gave me a bear hug, almost toppling me over. I giggled, returning the hug.

When lunch came, Ran was in high spirits, which made me glad. I bought my lunch and walked back to our table along with Ran and Saaya, who just "happened" to find us walking together. I was talking to Ran before Saaya butted in the conversation, completely cutting me off. I rolled my eyes and looked to the side. I noticed _their _table was empty today. _I expected that but still…_

"Hey, guys, do any of you want my hoagie?"

"Since you insist, I'll guess I'll take it nya! Thanks, Amu!" Yoru grabbed my hoagie and gobbled it down, making me laugh.

"Yoru, that's rude!" Miki scolded.

As Miki lectured Yoru, Su said, "What's wrong, Amu-chan desu? Are you feeling sick again?"

"No, I'm just not hungry."

…_I can't help but feel my heart twist around uncomfortably. I miss them. I miss Ikuto…_

**X-x-X**

It was Saturday, the day I promised Tadase-kun I would come over. I informed Tsumugu about my little trip and he grumbled a bit, something about me growing up too quickly.

The Tsukiyomis never came to school this week.

During lunch, I sat there as if I was _waiting _for them to suddenly pop in the cafeteria.

But that didn't happen.

I grabbed my things and walked out the house, locking the door behind me. I started my car and drove to the beach. Once I arrived there, I parked my car outside Tadase-kun's house. After I closed the car door, the front door to his house opened, revealing Tadase-kun.

"Amu-chan!"

"Hi, Tadase-kun," I greeted back. I hopped down from my truck and walked towards him. I gave him a hug, smiling. "How've you been?"

He laughed and said teasingly, "You must've missed me a lot."

I released him and stuck my tongue out in a playful manner. "Not."

"Why, if it isn't Tsumugu's daughter. I haven't seen you for years!"

I peered behind me and saw a man in his late 40's, maybe, step out of Tadase-kun's house. Was this his dad?

"Hello, Hotori-san," I said, bowing down.

"Why are you bowing down? I've known you since you were a baby!"

I grinned as he made his way towards us. "Is Tsumugu doing all right?"

I gave him a confused look but nodded. "Yeah, why wouldn't he be?"

"He wasn't looking too great a few days ago."

"Ah." Now I knew what he meant. It was when I went missing for a while when I was really staying over a friend's house because I was "sick." "He's fine now."

"That's good to hear. Would you like to come inside?"

"Um, actually—" Tadase-kun started but was interrupted by a loud, high-pitched voice.

"AMU-CHI!" I turn to my left and before I could blink, I was tackled to the ground.

"Yaya!" I cried, surprised.

"Yuiki-san, I think you're squishing Amu-chan…"

"Oh. Sorry, Amu-chi." She got up and hauled me up as well. "Let's go play!"

"Eh?" Yaya grabbed my forearm, running off towards the water.

"Come on, Tadase!" Yaya yelled over her shoulder.

So for two hours, we collected seashells, played by the water, and so on, completely going at Yaya's pace. Afterwards, Yaya said she had to go home and left Tadase-kun and I alone (but not before giving me a bone-crushing hug). Since it was just the two of us, we decided to take a walk in the forest.

We began talking about random stuff, laughing the whole time. But after awhile, things got more personal and serious. I told him about why I truly came here, my first crush, my dreams, my goals, and so on. I haven't spilled my life's story to anyone before—except my mom—but it felt great after I shared my troubles with him.

When I was in the middle of telling him a funny experience I had, my toe got caught in these huge roots and I fell forward. I fell onto my knees and scraped some parts of my hands in the process.

"Amu-chan, you ok? Sorry I couldn't catch you." He gave me an apologetic look after pulling me up.

"It's fine. I'm just naturally clumsy," I joked.

He smiled. "Shall we head back?"

I nodded and followed him out the woods. But before reaching the exit, I tripped yet again but Tadase-kun caught me in the nick of time. His hands grabbed my shoulders and my own were against his chest. I stole a glance at his face and noticed our faces were mere inches away. I blushed a cherry red and stepped away from him.

"S-Sorry," I stuttered.

"I-It's okay. Let's head back."

I followed him, slightly behind him so that he couldn't see my facial expression and vice versa. I touched my cheeks and as expected, they were burning. I could only imagine how it looked like…

Embarrassed once again, I scurried after my friend.

**X-x-X**

I went back home around seven and found a note from Tsumugu saying he wasn't coming home until morning. I did some chores and homework until 10:00. After I took my shower, I returned to my bedroom. I plopped down onto my bed, completely exhausted. I played with my wet hair, zoning out entirely. I must've been staring at the same spot on the wall for the past fifteen minutes. Only when I heard a tapping noise did I look up. I glanced towards my balcony and nearly screamed. My eyes widened and I stood up, utterly appalled.

Ikuto was standing outside my balcony, his violet eyes looking right at me, as if he could see through my soul.

I quickly ran to open the balcony door. But why was he here? After a week of disappearing, he suddenly decided to waltz back into my life. Just what was this guy thinking?

He came into the room but he didn't say anything. We stood a meter apart looking into each other's eyes, not one of us daring to break the gaze.

After a while, I couldn't take his silence. I said, a bit angrily, "Why?"

"Why what?" he said seriously.

I groaned in a frustrated manner. "Ikuto, you know what I'm talking about. Why are you doing this to me? You disappeared for a _week_ and only _now _decide to show your face to me. When I woke up after I got bitten by you, I felt immense pain. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. I felt so, so guilty because it's my fault you left in the first place…" I trailed off, lowering my previous loud tone. I was out of breath as I watched his reaction.

There was nothing.

For some reason, I felt like punching him. I'm not _mad _at him, more like upset.

"Come with me."

"Wha—" Before I could react, Ikuto had grabbed my arm, threw me onto his back, and jumped off the balcony in a matter of five seconds. I didn't even have time to scream. And then he ran off towards who knows where. In case you didn't know, he ran pretty damn _fast_. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the feeling of nausea creeping upon me.

But my ride was over. How long did it take, a minute?

I opened my eyes and ignored a wave of dizziness pass through me. We were in a mini meadow in a middle of a forest. The field wasn't very big at all—maybe two big classrooms squished together. Trees surrounded our circular space.

He dropped me gently on the ground and I clutched my head, trying to overcome the dizziness from the speedy ride.

"Why are we here?"

He faced me, his stance relaxed. "To show you something."

"Like what?" I stood up, stumbling a bit.

"What I really am."

He zoomed to the end of the circle and back right in front of my face in less than a second. I wasn't expecting that so naturally, I backed away. I must've done it too fast because I began falling backwards. He caught me and made me upright in less than a second too.

"Are you scared of me?"

What was he getting at? I looked right in his face and said, "No."

"Even after you know I'm a vampire?"

"Yes," I said with absolute determination. "I'm not scared of you."

He then disappeared and I felt a strong wind blowing around me. I then realized it was Ikuto circling me at high speed. He stopped in front of me after three seconds of spinning around.

"It took me three seconds to spin around you 50 times. Vampires have super speed and…" And he wasn't in front of me anymore. Something pushed my back, making me fall forward. Ikuto was in front of me again, breaking my fall. "…they can harm you in less than a second, just like that."

He was by a tree now, his hand clutching the bark of a tree. It must've been almost two feet wide and the tree was pretty tall. He did a sideways karate chop on the bark and the blow made the tree fall back. The bark broke and the tree tumbled down. My jaw dropped. How in the world can you do that, even if you are a vampire?

"Vampires have super strength." He was beside me in the next moment.

"Ow!" My back knocked against a tree. It didn't hurt but I was so surprised. Ikuto's body smoldered against mine as he leaned in.

"The worst part is that vampires always have a thirst for _blood_." His hands were on my hips as he inhaled my scent, his mouth on my neck. His voice then turned quiet, making me strain to hear it. "Last week when I saw your blood, I went insane from smelling it. If Kukai hadn't stopped me…I would've drunk your blood until you died." His lips were on my cheek, giving me a light kiss. My cheeks heated up and he chuckled.

"This is what I mean. I can just _feel _your blood under your skin." He stepped back a little, giving me a bit more space. He fingered my neck at the spot where he bit me. "After I showed you all these powers a vampire has…"

I gazed into his amethyst eyes as he neared my ear. He then softly whispered:

"Are you still scared of me?"

**X-x-X**

**I was going to stop when Ikuto knocks on her balcony door but what the hell, I couldn't do that after I kept you readers waiting for a long time! **

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! [:**

**Like the Amuto moment-kinda at the end? ;D **

**Please review! [:**


	12. Temptation

**Sorry for the lack of updates but I've been busy. And lazy. :P But particularly for this story, I've been losing inspiration and motivation. But I'm **_**not**_** going to discontinue it. I don't wanna be like those authors who discontinue a story of theirs and upset their readers. That's the absolute **_**last **_**thing I want to do.**

**Thanks to these reviewers:**

Kurai Tenshi-1214, ShugoCharaLuvr, Renae Harada, xXxStrawberryAngelxXx, Foxgrl18, alchemistlover14, Sukiya62, xheyxhaleyx, rainycandy101, kassi, RomanticaKH1, JayMar, kallen11, lilpopsplash, mountaingirl47, xxxUtauloverxxx, NellyLuna252

**Shoutout to **RomanticaKH1 **for reviewing almost all my chapters in one shot. (: **

**Also, I'm dedicating this chapter to **JayMar**. Didn't know she read my stories but glad she does. Just want you to know that I hope everything is going well for you and that I'll always be here to support you. (:**

**Hope you like this chapter! There's gonna be some Amuto hotness ;D hopefully. :3**

_**X-x-Flashback of Chapter 11-x-X**_

_"Vampires have super strength." He was beside me in the next moment._

_"Ow!" My back knocked against a tree. It didn't hurt but I was so surprised. Ikuto's body smoldered against mine as he leaned in._

_"The worst part is that vampires always have a thirst for _blood_." His hands were on my hips as he inhaled my scent, his mouth on my neck. His voice then turned quiet, making me strain to hear it. "Last week when I saw your blood, I went insane from smelling it. If Kukai hadn't stopped me…I would've drunk your blood until you died." His lips were on my cheek, giving me a light kiss. My cheeks heated up and he chuckled._

_"This is what I mean. I can just _feel_your blood under your skin." He stepped back a little, giving me a bit more space. He fingered my neck at the spot where he bit me. "After I showed you all these powers a vampire has…"_

_I gazed into his amethyst eyes as he neared my ear. He then softly whispered:_

_"Are you still scared of me?"_

_**X-x-End of Flashback-x-X**_

**X-x-X**

**Temptation**

His eyes held anticipation as he awaited my answer. But there was also…_fear_. But fear of what?

I raised my hand and cautiously caressed his cold, cold cheek. I closed my eyes, smiled, and softly breathed out.

And Ikuto was off me the next instant. I opened my eyes in surprise. Did I do something wrong? My eyes analyzed my surroundings as I searched for Ikuto. He was at the other end of the small meadow but I couldn't really see what he was doing.

"Sorry. Just…give me a second," he said, so softly that I had to strain my ears to hear it.

I nodded and waited patiently for him to come back. A few short seconds passed before he materialized in front of me. He held a calm expression despite his rigid posture.

"Did…I do something bad?" I asked, cocking my head to the side as I frowned.

"Yes, you did." He smirked. "I may have some control over my hunger but that doesn't mean I have _complete _control."

"I still don't get it." My frown deepened.

"When you touched me and sighed, it was a double-blow to me. Your touch and smell drove me crazy, especially since I've already tasted your blood. I had to give myself some space before I sucked the life out of you." He gave me a lopsided grin that sent my heart pounding.

"Sorry," I murmured, blushing furiously.

His hand reached out hesitantly. Ikuto breathed out slowly before his hand touched my cheek. My eyes closed shut as I leaned towards his touch and smiled.

"You still never answered my question."

My eyelids gradually opened and I saw Ikuto lowering his head with a serious look upon his features. "Are you afraid of me?"

My right hand reached up and placed itself over Ikuto's hand that was already on my face. I looked him in the eye and confidently answered, "No. It's the exact opposite. You know, finding out you're a vampire doesn't change my view about you. To be honest, I feel safe around you. You're kind of like my knight in shining armor." I giggled and noticed Ikuto scoff.

"A vampire as a knight? That's a first."

I grinned and continued. "That's why I'm not scared. I never will be." _Because it's you._

"You never know what'll happen in the future. You may be so frightened by my actions that you'll never want to see me again." He smirked but his hand that was on my face pressed onto my cheek even more, as if he was trying to make me stay by his side.

The possibility of that sent my heart aflutter.

I smiled to myself and quietly whispered, "I don't think that'll ever happen."

"And why's that?" he probed.

Because I like you too much. "Just because."

He groaned. "I wish I can just read your thoughts."

"Everybody does, Ikuto. But no one actually can." I shrugged my shoulders and looked at Ikuto, who had dropped his hand and was gazing into my eyes.

"W-What?" I began to grow nervous but as I thought back to what I said, it hit me like a ton of bricks. _No freaking way._ I asked in complete disbelief, "You can read people's thoughts?"

He sighed and backed away, much to my disappointment. "Yes."

"But…wait, that means you know what I'm thinking constantly!" I accused, my face growing red. He's invading my privacy! I buried my face in my hands from embarrassment. My thoughts (some about him) were weird and random and—

I heard him chuckle and felt him pry away my fingers. "Amu, Amu, Amu…did you not just hear me say that I _wish_ I could read your thoughts?

I stopped. He had a point. "But you just said you could read minds."

"That's true. But for some reason, I can't read _your_ mind. It's never happened before with anybody—just you." He advanced towards me but I didn't expect him to be _this _close. My back hit the tree and his head descended to mine. "And it infuriates me that I can't read your thoughts."

Completely uncomfortable being so close to him, I stuttered, "I-It's not my fault. I think it's kind of fair actually. I want to know some of _your _thoughts too, y'know." I looked away to avoid his intent gaze. "What thoughts of mine are you interested in?"

"During the time with the car accident, that night at the restaurant, you finding out I'm a vampire… Pretty much everything," he confessed.

My cheeks flushed. I warily placed my hand over Ikuto's cheek and smiled. "I'll tell you my thoughts during those times on a different day. But when I found out you were a vampire, I was shocked of course. But to tell you the truth, I suspected you being a vampire."

"How?"

"Um, Tadase-kun told me a story."

"Ah, the Hotori family."

"You don't like them?"

"It's not like I don't like them. They're very generous and my family is grateful for their past actions but not all of _them _exactly like _us_."

"How come?" I frowned.

"They don't like vampires in general and the fact that we suck human blood." He gave me a grim smile.

"But…Tadase-kun told me that your family was different. You don't drink human blood, but _animal _blood."

"Did he really?" he mused.

I nodded. "When he was telling me the story, he didn't say it with hate or anything of the sort."

"Huh," he said, "that's interesting." He looked past my head at the tree bark, pondering about something. He looked at my neck and lightly touched the mark he left on me a week ago. The red web was almost completely gone but traces of it stayed. "I want to know what your thoughts were when I bit you that night."

"Well, it did hurt," I started but then I inaudibly whispered, "but it kind of felt…good."

"Good?" He gave me a look and sighed.

I blushed. "Well…"

"If you say that, I don't think I'll hold myself back from biting you another time," he trailed off, giving me a playful look as he fingered my neck, leaving a trail of sparks.

I frowned. He really did like teasing me. Wanting to start another topic, I asked, "Hey, Ikuto, could you tell me more about your power?'

He took a deep breath before looking back at me. "I can read everybody's minds—except for you, of course—within a three mile radius. If I know someone personally, then I can still discern their thoughts even if they're more than three miles away from me."

"Wow, that's amazing. I wish I had that power…" I sighed deeply, smiling.

He stroked my cheek once again, causing my heartbeat to accelerate. "It's not that great, Strawberry." If he keeps up this charisma, I think I'm going to have a heart attack. "I've learned to block out unnecessary thoughts but some manage to get through to my head." He made a disgusted face.

I giggled. "Like what? Thoughts about girls?" I lightly slapped his shoulder and stuck my tongue out. "Pervert."

He smirked at me before lowering his head once again, causing my breath to hitch. "Actually, the thoughts I wanted to block out most concerned you. Well, when you first arrived."

"Me?" I shot him a perplexed look.

"On your first day of school, almost _everybody's _thoughts revolved around you. I couldn't even attempt to cut off those thoughts because left and right, every student was talking about you. That seriously annoyed me to no end. And when I found out it was just about a girl, I became more irritated. No offense, Amu." He sent me a crooked smirk that made me blush. "And then the boys. Their thoughts about you were…seriously indecent."

"What could they possibly think of me?" My eyebrows furrowed. It's probably because I have weird hair, right?"

"Hey, blue hair isn't natural either." He ruffled my hair and grinned at me. "But you honestly don't know? You should stand in front of a mirror and properly look at yourself."

I made a face. "I think that'll just lower my self-esteem. Every time I look in the mirror, I feel so _plain_."

"That's not what your male classmates think. They were practically drooling at the sight of you." He chuckled as he reminisced about the first day of school.

I folded my arms stubbornly. I stepped away from him and walked a few feet away. "Frankly, I don't believe that." And Ikuto was in front of me the next second. I stepped back, surprised. "Ikuto, don't do that!"

"Should I tell you what they were thinking of?" he suggested, ignoring my previous request. He stepped forward, making me step back.

"F-Fine, tell me," I dared.

"They were staring at your body, fantasizing about dating such a pretty girl like you." He stepped forward while I stepped back.

"They called you 'hot and cute at the same time'." Step forward, step back.

"Every time you smiled, they burned it into their memory in an instant." Step forward, step back.

"They called you sexy…" Step forward, back against the tree.

He stopped talking as his head leaned down towards mine. I couldn't breathe properly as he focused his stare on me. I could seriously just gaze into those violet pools forever if I was given the chance.

He placed his hand upon my cheek before combing my pink strands with his fingers ever so gently. "At first, I didn't get what was the big deal. You're just like any girl but when I laid eyes on you myself…and caught your scent…" His voice softened as he murmured, "That's when I became attracted towards you."

"O-Oh," I muttered, not knowing what to say.

"I couldn't stop thinking about your scent. When I got to know you personally later on, I eventually couldn't stop thinking about _you_."

He ducked his head and his lips lowered towards my awaiting ones, ever so agonizingly slow. My eyelids drooped and I could practically taste his breath. Not a second later, his lips were upon mine, sending me into a state of bliss. It was much better than the first one (probably because Ikuto is more in control of himself). If he continued this sultry kiss, I think I'm going to die. I slightly parted my lips as I got more into the kiss. I sighed contently and ran my fingers through his hair.

Very abruptly, my face was pushed back, and Ikuto was looking down, just holding the sides of my face.

"Ikuto?"

"Remember what I said about self-control?" he asked, talking about himself.

"Oh." I blushed as I apologized. "Did I go too far?"

"Yup," he cheerfully said, taking deep breaths.

"I can stand over there to give you some space." I moved my head but he firmly held on.

"No. Stay."

Just that one word caused the butterflies in my stomach to increase. "O-Okay."

"Besides, I need to get used to this if I don't want to accidentally kill you." He gave me a grin as he leaned his forehead on mine.

"Accidentally?" I teased.

"Of course. Amu, I would never intentionally hurt you." He looked me in the eye and now that our eyes were a mere inch apart, his orbs seemed even more breathtaking. "If I did, I don't think I could ever forgive myself."

"Ikuto," I whispered. Very slowly, my hand reached up to pat his head. We stayed like this for a while and I didn't mind it one bit. After a while, I said, "Feel more in control?"

"Yeah. I don't really mind doing this," he responded, talking about our connected foreheads. "Your strawberry scent is utterly amazing but now, I can bear it. It's more tolerable every time." He gave me a quick peck on the lips and smiled to himself with satisfaction. "At least I know I won't pin you to the bed and drink all your blood." He smirked and winked at me.

"W-What!" The blush on my face increased by tenfold and I was looking down now. Well, at least tried to. What does he mean by that? 'Pin me to a bed'? Oh my god, does he mean it in a sexual way? No, he's not like that. Actually, he kind of is but—

Ikuto burst out laughing, the loudest I've heard from him. He stepped back and continued laughing. I growled and punched his arm but I knew he probably didn't even feel it.

"Were you thinking of something else? And you called me the pervert." He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the part under my ear. With his alluring voice, he huskily whispered, "Or we could do what you're thinking. I could tie you to the bed and do some of this and that…"

I swear my face was so red to the point I really _did _resemble a tomato.

He chuckled in my ear, causing shivers to run down my spine. He bit my ear and stepped back before I could even utter a sound. I squealed and grabbed my earlobe as he laughed. This was the second time!

"Jerk!" I stomped off towards a random direction, fully intent on leaving this meadow. He appeared beside me and suddenly picked me up bridal-style. I squeaked and subconsciously wrapped my arms around his neck. "Ikuto, you really have to stop spontaneously doing these things. You scared the crap out of me."

"That's good. You need to feel some fear." He smirked down at me. "A normal girl would be scared and shocked after almost being raped and around me as well." He "glared" down at me.

"I'm scared when you suddenly pop out of nowhere. That's normal enough." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Not scared enough." He shifted his arms so that I would feel more comfortable in this position. "Want to go home?"

I nodded. I was feeling really tired. "But can you please don't run super fast like you did when you came here?"

He pouted, making me blush. How can he be so cute? "But _Amu_, that's part of the fun."

"Not for me. I felt like throwing up when we came here."

He sighed. "Fine. I'll go at half the speed." Not accepting any response for me, he bounded past the trees, towards my house. Sure, it wasn't as fast as the first time but still _fast_. We arrived at my balcony in about four minutes. My head felt dizzy but luckily, I was all right for the most part.

I thanked him and opened the balcony door. I turned back around, suddenly feeling nervous. It felt extremely rude if I just told him to leave. He should be able to leave whenever he wanted. "Um…do you want to come in?"

"Is that an indirect invitation to your bed?" He gave me a Cheshire grin while I glared at him.

"You really like tease me, don't you?" I glared as I went to plop down on my bed.

Except Ikuto beat me to it.

"Hey." I climbed onto the bed and made an attempt to push him off the bed. "No one said you could lie down on my bed." I went to push him again but his hand reached out to seize my wrist. He pulled, resulting in me falling onto his chest. "Hey, what are you—" I glowered at him but my expression faltered. He gazed at me, not saying anything. Of course, I was blushing like a strawberry. "W-What?"

"Are you honestly not scared of what I am?"

I let out a long sigh. I rolled off him as I laid down beside him on my back. "Ikuto, why won't you believe that I really am not scared?"

"Because that's not normal!" he hissed, propping himself up using his elbow—which was kind of hot—and glaring at me.

"Ikuto, please trust me on this one. I am, without a doubt, _not_ scared that you're a vampire." I boldly grabbed his hand, intertwining my fingers with his. "Please believe that."

He groaned. "I give up." He rolled on top of me and hugged me like I was some kind of big teddy bear. I shuddered from his freezing skin but I didn't mind it much. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, breathing in deeply.

"Ikuto?" I called, slightly scared he'll sink his fangs in my neck again.

"Let's just stay like this for a while." To establish his point, he pulled the covers over us and tightly hugged me, as if he was never going to let me go. He kissed my cheek and stroked my hair. As I laid under him, I fell asleep to his soothing touches.

**X-x-X**

The sunlight streaming through the curtains was my wake-up call. I instantly opened my eyes and looked around me. Feeling a slight pang in my heart, I patted the spot where Ikuto was last night. It was unpleasantly cold, meaning he had left a while ago. I stood up and got ready for school. Deciding on some skinny jeans, a V-neck, heels, accessories, and a decorative scarf to hide my mark, I headed for the bathroom. I grabbed the curling iron but stopped. I clutched the counter, looking at myself in the mirror.

I never cared much for how I looked. This was the second time I prettied myself up for _school_. Stupid Ikuto, making me think too much.

Instead of curling my hair, I chose to just clip my bangs up. I looked over at my lame excuse of a make-up box to the left of me, which contained mascara, eyeliner, and one kind of eye shadow. I shook my head at myself—I'm trying too hard. I slammed the lid shut and bounded down the stairs with my backpack.

Tsumugu was already gone so I had the house to myself for a bit. I took a quick peek at the clock and my eyes widened. Crap, I'm late! I made myself a bowl of cereal and hurriedly wolfed it down. I slipped on my heels and rushed out the door.

But what was in front of me made me completely halt.

I slapped my forehead and said, "Ikuto, you really need to stop randomly popping up from nowhere without warning."

Said male took long, slow strides toward me, smirking all the while. "Where's the fun in that?" He stopped in front of me and played with the ends of my hair. "You look cute today." He stepped forward while I stood my ground. His right arm snaked around my waist, pushing me up against him. He hotly whispered against my ear, "Are you trying to _seduce _me, Amu?" He licked my earlobe, causing me to squeak. "We should just ditch school and stay in your bed…"

I shoved him away from me, my face red, without a doubt. "I-Ikuto, you perverted idiot!" I stomped to my car and opened the door but a pale hand easily slammed it shut. I turned my head and his face was an inch away from mine. Blood boiled to my face as I noticed the position we were in—I was against the car while his chest was pressed firmly to my back.

He closed the distance between our mouths while he slowly turned me around so that I was facing him. It didn't last long and it was chaste—but it was enough to muddle my mind.

"That was my morning kiss." He winked at me and dragged me to his car that I just noticed now. "Come on, we're late."

"And whose fault is that?" I grumbled.

He chuckled and got in the car with me following suit. He sped down the road as he held my hand, rubbing the top of my hand with his thumb.

"You seem to be awfully comfortable with me now."

"Yeah, I've gotten used to your scent. The more time I spend with you, the easier it is. I'm glad that's the case because I don't think I could refrain my actions another longer." He sent me a wink that made my heart leap.

"Why did you suddenly appear on my doorstep this morning?" I questioned, genuinely curious.

"I thought you would love to see my handsome face in the morning." He sent me a cocky grin that earned him a slap on the arm.

"You're really arrogant, you know that?"

"Doesn't change the fact that you don't mind seeing me pop out of nowhere."

I quietly admitted, "I guess…"

He smiled and gripped my hand tighter.

We arrived at school faster than I usually do, thanks to his urge of "going a little over the speed limit." At least we're not late now. I got out of the car and saw Ikuto making his way around his car. He clutched my hand once again and I darted my eyes left and right, already noticing the amount of stares that were boring holes through us.

"Ikuto! We're in public!"

"Does that mean you want a secret relationship?" He smirked at me and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Let them think what they want to think."

"Oh my god, this is embarrassing."

Everyone's—I'm not even exaggerating—eyes were on Ikuto and me. He gripped my hand tightly, silently saying that he was here for me. I smiled, thankful that he was here by my side.

**X-x-X**

When we arrived at our homeroom, the chatter died down to complete silence. Great, just what I wanted. Ikuto, who was still holding my hand, pulled me to our assigned seats and we sat down quietly.

If there were crickets in here, they would be as loud as a bulldozer.

There some coughs and shuffling before the buzz grew again but some curious eyes still stayed glued to Ikuto and me.

"Well, that was quite an entrance," Rima remarked, turning around in her chair. Astonished, I looked at her. If she was here, does that mean the rest of the Tsukiyomis returned to school?

Ikuto smirked.

"So I'm assuming you're dating now? Well, that's not a surprise." Rima grinned at me. "Just warning you, Amu—he can be such a pervert sometimes."

"Thanks for the warning, but I already found out." I gave him a pointed look.

"It's not like you don't like it." He smirked right back.

I stuck my tongue at him before Nikaidou-sensei waltzed into the room but not before tripping over his own feet. What a klutz. All his books fell and the class roared in laughter.

I thought back to what Rima said. The word "dating" didn't seem right. Just what relationship did Ikuto and I share? Certainly not "friends" and "girlfriend/boyfriend" didn't sit well with my brain. He didn't exactly _ask _me out. Yet.

After class, we walked to our biology class only this time, he didn't hold my hand, leaving me slightly disappointed. Just a little.

By now, people were used to seeing us together but that didn't stop the whispers to spread across the room like wild fire. I noted that Daichi was looking at me with narrowed eyes and when I stared back, he made no attempt to turn away. I gave him an awkward wave before sitting down next to Ikuto.

Every time Daichi attempted to talk to me, Ikuto would avert my attention. I giggled at that—he was jealous.

After class, he walked me to my next class even though I protested. "Ikuto, you're going to be late."

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter by me." He stopped at the doorway to my class and mentioned, "Oh yeah, your friend Ran is going to ask you questions."

"About what?"

"You and me." He grinned.

I groaned. "Questions like what?"

"How should I know?" he said innocently.

I glowered at him. "You're not funny."

"Never said I was." He patted my head and said, "I'll be waiting for what you're going to say to your friend."

I sighed and entered my math class. Before I could even plant my butt on the seat, Ran had already turned her body to me, giving me her full attention.

"All right, spill, Amu-chan."

Deciding to play it cool, I said, "What are you talking about?"

"Amu-chan!" she whined. I cracked a smile. "About you and Ikuto! Are you guys dating? What was with the handholding? Do you love him? Does he love _you_? What about—"

"Ran, if you ask that many questions at once, I'm going to get a headache."

"Oops. Sorry, Amu-chan." She gave me a sheepish smile before slamming her hand on the desk. "But I'm really curious!"

"One at a time, Ran."

"Oh, right. Are you guys dating?"

"To be honest, I don't know." I looked Ran straight in the eye, hoping Ikuto could see my expression. "It's not official but I'm guessing we are."

"Have you guys kissed?" Ran asked excitedly.

My lips formed a thin line as I tried to hide my smile. "A couple times."

"Ooh, you go, Amu-chan! Is he a good kisser?"

"Too good." I probably just inflated his ego.

"Do you like him? Or do you _love _him?" Ran waggled her eyebrows, nudging me.

I blushed and pursed my lips. "I don't know."

"Do you like him a lot?"

"Yeah. A lot more than he likes me." Yeah, Ikuto, that's right. I like you so god damn much.

"Aww, that's so cute!" Ran gushed. "Are you going on another date anytime soon?"

I shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."

Before she could spit out another question, the teacher had come in and we never got another chance to talk after that during the period. After class, Ran and I walked to the door, chatting.

"Finally, it's lunch time!" Ran said, raising her fist in the air.

I laughed. I was going to say something when I felt something cold snake around my shoulders. Ran and I both looked to see who it is and she gasped, clearly shocked.

"Do you mind if Amu sits with me at lunch today?"

"N-No, not at all," Ran stuttered. She sent me a sneaky smile before running off to her locker.

"Was that necessary?" I questioned, giving him a look.

"Of course." He kissed my forehead, causing gasps from all around us, and casually walked us to the cafeteria.

"Now _that _wasn't needed."

He childishly pouted. "But I need kisses from my Amu-_chan_."

The blush on my face increased. "H-Hey, I'm not some object you can have!"

"May be, but you're still mine. No one else can have you, especially that Saito kid." He growled.

I giggled and laced my arm around his. "Let's go."

We got in the lunch line and he began piling food onto the tray. He paid for the food and we picked a table where nobody sat so we had the space all to ourselves.

"Are you trying to make me fat?" I said, raising my eyebrow as I glanced at the food.

"Didn't know what you wanted so I just grabbed anything I saw."

"I can see that."

"Eat, Amu."

I opened a bag of chips before asking, "Hey, Ikuto, what would happen if someone asked you to eat food?"

"Well," he started, propping his elbows on the table while his chin rested on his hands, "I can eat food but it doesn't exactly digest. I can eat this food but I'll probably be throwing it up later."

I frowned. "That doesn't sound enjoyable."

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter." He looked past me and grinned. "Your lunch table is staring at us. Just thought you should know."

I glared at him. "Thanks to you, I've been receiving glares from my female classmates."

"I guess I'm just so popular," he said, mocking himself.

I laughed. "So were you listening when I was talking to Ran?"

"I told you I would, didn't I?"

"And were you happy with the answers?" I took a bite of my pizza.

"There was _one _thing you said that was wrong."

"Oh, really? Please explain."

He took my hand in his and traced patterns on my hand with his thumbs. He quietly said, "You said you like me more than I like you."

My cheeks warmed and I intelligently said, "So?"

"How would you know that?"

I wiped my fingers on a piece of napkin and said, "I think I would know how strong my feelings are."

"What about mine?" he interjected, leaning in.

"You can't possibly like me as much as I like you. I'm not special enough."

He held both of my hands this time and stared at my golden orbs. "Amu, you don't understand, do you? You're on my mind constantly and it pains me to leave you whenever I have to. You're extremely special and important to me and if I lost you, I don't think I would be able to live anymore. _That's _how much you mean to me and so much more." He stroked my cheek and smiled at me. Whenever he smiled, my heart would race faster and faster until I'm sure it would burst.

We stayed like this for who knows how long but before I knew it, the students were already starting to file out the door. I glanced behind Ikuto and caught sight of Utau. Her eyes met mine and when it did, I trembled. Her violet pools displayed anger and frustration. Why did she hate me so much?

Ikuto looked behind him and a look of understanding crossed his features. "Don't mind, Utau. Shall we go?"

I nodded and this time, I was the one to interlace my fingers with his. He smiled at this and gripped my hand even tighter.

**X-x-X**

"Amu-chan, watch out!"

"Wha—"

Before I could respond, a basketball had collided with my face and I fell backward and onto the ground. Daichi rushed over to me and knelt down.

"Amu-chan, you okay? Sorry, I threw the ball to you on impulse and I thought you were paying attention."

I clutched my nose and said, "It's all right. This is what I get for spacing out so much." I laughed as Daichi helped me stand.

"Let's go to the nurse to get you an ice pack."

"No, I'm really fine." But it was too late. The green-haired boy had already told the teacher where we were heading. I walked beside him while I concentrated on something beside the pain. He sure can throw hard.

"So, you and Tsukiyomi? Didn't know you guys had a thing for each other."

I sneaked a glance at Daichi and I could see he was visibly vexed. "Daichi, that's none of your business."

"But why him?" he growled.

"What's wrong with Ikuto?" I frowned as we reached the infirmary. The nurse went over to the fridge to get an ice pack.

"I don't know, it's just this bad feeling I have. Every time I see him looking at you, it's like you're a piece of meat or something." He shuddered.

I couldn't suppress the grin that was creeping onto my face. Oh, the irony. "Ikuto isn't like that." I accepted the ice pack and left the infirmary with Daichi on my tail. I pressed the ice against my nose and smiled as the pain died down.

He grabbed my shoulder and pinned me to the wall. Shocked, I dropped my ice pack and it landed on the ground with a quick thud. "Daichi, what are you—"

"Amu-chan, I really like you. A lot. It's just that every time I see Tsukiyomi with you, I feel like you're in danger. That guy isn't…normal, Amu-chan."

I sighed and looked away. "It's my choice, isn't it?" I looked back at him and gently pushed him away. "I'm sorry that I can't accept your feelings." I picked up the ice pack from the ground and began walking away. "There's someone else that has feelings for you. Unfortunately, it isn't me." My pace increased and when I saw that Daichi wasn't following, I was a bit relieved. I didn't want to walk with him back to gym—that would've been _really _awkward.

**X-x-X**

After school, I rushed to my truck and as expected, Ikuto was leaning against it, waiting patiently for me. When he saw me, he smiled but I could see anger in his eyes, leaving me confused. His arms wrapped around mine and he said, "How was your day?"

"Pretty good. Yours?"

"Good. Only the end of the day wasn't so great."

Puzzled, I looked at him. That's when I put two and two together. I sent him an accusing glare. "You listened, didn't you?"

"How's your nose?" he replied, getting into the car.

"Ikuto!" I complained, getting into the passenger seat.

"I couldn't help it. Especially what happened after you two left the nurse's office. That sneaky bastard is going to get it," he seethed, pulling the truck out of the parking lot.

I couldn't help but smile. "I kind of like it when you're jealous."

"Expect it often then. I hate it when people touch what belongs to me. Maybe I should leave a hickey here and there to show the world that you belong to someone else already." He sent me a sly look.

"W-What!" I spluttered, blushing furiously. "Ikuto, don't be a pervert!"

He chuckled. "Can't help it. You're too much fun to tease."

"Jerk."

**X-x-X**

I sat at my desk, gazing at the snow globe. I was still upset that Ikuto left quickly after he dropped me off after school (though he _did _give me a kiss or two…).

After I took a shower and freshened myself I up, I told Tsumugu I was going to bed. As I dressed myself, I hummed a tune to myself. I glanced at myself in the full-length mirror and it still baffled me that Ikuto could see some redeeming qualities because I certainly can't. I stepped closer to the mirror and inspected the two tiny holes on my neck. The web was gone but the dark red circles around the bite remained. I sighed and turned around.

Only to see Ikuto leaning against my balcony.

My blood ran cold as I brought a hand to my chest. "Holy crap, you scared me."

"Sorry." He grinned and waltzed over to me. He hugged me and placed his forehead on mine. "Would you like some company tonight?"

**X-x-X**

**Was Ikuto too OOC for you guys? Sorry if he was. ): but I felt like he was too "Edward" in the beginning and I'm trying to change that.**

**Oh and you guys should watch **City Hunter_. _**It's this absolutely AMAZING Korean drama. You won't regret watching it, promise. I've been obsessing about it for the past couple weeks. It's even number one in Korea right now :D or was it just Seoul? Eh, doesn't matter, it's still high in the ranks.**

**I think this story is going to end soon. Probably a few more chapters. I just reread **Twilight**, more like skimmed, and I noticed I was skipping around a lot. But now I know what to write for the rest of this story. It might be similar to the fight with James but I'm going to switch it up a bit and change some details here and there.**

**Please review! It would be much appreciated (:**


	13. Your Hand in Mine

**Hope you all had a lovely Christmas! If you don't celebrate that, I hope you are/did enjoy your break!**

**Thank you to these reviewers:**

xTsukiyo No Marionette, ShugoCharaLuvr, Innocence and Instinct, NellyLuna252, Argentum Famulus, xxxUtauloverxxx, Kallen11, LouKeiYee, madeline. the .geek.28, Catherineza, lilpopsplash, xheyxhaleyx, JayMar, mountaingirl47, amuto106, Amulet Rafia, xxSunSerenityxx, xxShakespeareSecretsxx, amutoforever21, Saris Yui, Neko-chan3, a personse sel, Guest, ChikoThePigDemon, SakiYamada, HaibaraAiFan

**Thanks a bunch for all the reviews!**

**To **ChikoThePigDemon** (and the people who have been mad at my lack of updates):**

_I have a life. _FanFiction isn't at the top of my priorities. I'm in the busiest year of high school and doing well in school is way more important to me than FanFiction. I write these stories _for fun_. I don't want it to become a chore. Lately, I've been bombarded with piles of homework, tests, standardized tests, extracurricular activities, etc. I haven't even had time to sleep much. This was the first weekend that I actually had time to sit down and write the next chapter to this story. _I know I haven't updated in over a year. _And I'm really sorry. But I just don't have the time. So please don't send me angry messages, demanding me to update. I will when I can. So I hope you will still continue to support me and I will try to do my best to update.

**Here's the next chapter! It's going to be a long one.**

**X-x-X**

**Your Hand in Mine**

"_Would you like some company tonight?"_

And that's how I ended up in my bed, cuddling with Tsukiyomi Ikuto. I shouldn't be surprised, really; despite Ikuto knowing the consequences of he lost control, he continued to make physical contact with me. Not that I mind.

He was playing with a wet strand of my pink hair when I asked, "So why did you randomly decide to visit me?"

"Because I missed you."

I blushed and mumbled, "We saw each other a few hours ago."

"I bet you were dying to see me too."

I scoffed at his accusation. I turned in his arms so that I was facing away from him.

"Amu, the moment you leave my arms, I begin to miss you terribly."

His sweet declaration caused blood to rush up to my face.

"Me, too," I whispered. "I miss you a lot when you're not by my side." It made me realize how dependent I have become on Ikuto. Now that we were a couple, I'm so used to having him by my side. In my mind, wherever I was, _he _was always there with me. And when he wasn't there, my chest would tighten to the point that it becomes hard to breathe.

"I will never leave your side."

His words brought warmth to my heart. My heartbeat drummed against my chest; I swear, Ikuto will be the death of me one day.

I shuffled around so that I was facing him again. His violet eyes seemed to pierce my very soul as I slightly cowered under his intense gaze. All I could mutter was, "Good."

Cautiously, Ikuto leaned in towards my lips. My eyelids fluttered closed. A second later, our lips met in a chaste kiss. His fingers brushed through my damp tresses as I melted in his warm embrace. He broke away to let me breathe for a bit before locking lips with mine once again. He repositioned us so that my back was on the bed and he was on top of me. One of his hands found my left hand and he proceeded to intertwine them together. I squeezed his hand as our kiss became more passionate by the second.

Just when I thought I was in complete heaven, Ikuto abruptly pulled back with a slightly panicked face. I gave him a questioning look.

"What is it?"

"Your dad's coming up to check up on you."

My jaw dropped. "Crap!"

No sooner after that, he disappeared after loudly whispering, "Pretend to sleep!"

I did the best I could. I pulled the covers up and remained on my back. I breathed deeply, hoping it would convince Tsumugu.

Two seconds later, the door opened. Light streaked into the room and I pretended to be fast asleep. I hope my act was persuasive enough. After I heard the door creak shut, light laughter filled the room.

"That was so fake."

I whipped my head around, trying to locate Ikuto but he was nowhere in sight. "Where are you?"

I then felt hot breath fan my ear. "Right behind you."

I gasped and sharply turned around and sure enough, he was lying beside me. I glared at him. "Will you stop randomly appearing out of nowhere?"

He shook his head. "It's rather enjoyable to watch your reactions."

"Meanie," I mumbled.

He chuckled beside my ear. "You are absolutely adorable."

I smiled. I loved the sound of his laugh.

We stayed like that, conversing quietly in the dark. We had started with light topics before we gradually reached untouched subjects that were better left unspoken in Ikuto's opinion, I bet.

"You say you have the power to read people's minds… Do any of your other siblings have that power?"

"In fact, they do. Rima can see the future."

"Whoa, seriously?" I exclaimed in disbelief.

He suddenly kissed me, knocking the wind out of me. He gently released my lips, leaving me incredibly flustered. "Wh-what was that for?"

"You were too loud. Your father may wake up."

"Highly doubt it. He sleeps like a log," I said, giggling. "But you could have done it another way."

"I bet you liked it," he teased, brushing his hand through my pink tresses.

I scoffed, another blush coloring my cheeks. But nevertheless, I wrapped my arms around him and buried my head against his chest as I sighed contently. "Anyways, you were saying about Rima before I was interrupted?"

He smirked but didn't comment on how I was "interrupted." "As I was saying, Rima can see the future. However, that only applies when the person she sees makes the decision for the event to occur."

"You lost me."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Let's see. Say, for example, you were going to go with me to the beach."

"Can we go there again, by the way?" I asked, referring to the beach we went last time on our…"date." My cheeks reddened. We weren't officially an item but still…

"We'll go whenever you want." He smiled. "But as I was saying, say you wanted to go to the beach. But right before you go, you abruptly decide to go shopping with your friends. Rima couldn't have predicted that until you yourself decided to go shopping."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Well, it's inconvenient sometimes. Like that night when we were at the beach, she didn't know I was going to bite you until the moment I saw your blood. But it was already too late then." His fingers made their way over to my neck, leaving a feather-like touch upon the two red marks on my neck.

"Ikuto," I chided, "it's no use saying that now. I don't regret anything that's happened." I kissed his cheek. "I hope you're still not beating yourself over that."

"Not that much." He gave me a crooked smile before kissing me fully on the lips. He really needed to stop doing that or I'm going to die from a heart attack. "Nagihiko also has a power."

"Really?" Not only were the Tsukiyomis all gorgeous, they all had special powers as well. Do all vampires have special abilities?

He nodded. "He can control emotions. Not just one person, but a whole room filled with people."

"Wow, that's amazing. What about Kukai and Utau?"

"They don't have particular qualities but Kukai does have super-strength and Utau…well, she can stun enemies with her beauty alone." He snickered quietly.

I smiled but it didn't reach my eyes. "And she can stun people with her piercing glares."

Ikuto lifted my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. "Amu, it's not like that."

"Then why?" I couldn't even begin to fathom why Utau disliked me so much. Though I could kind of understand if it was because I, a human, suddenly came into her family's life and messed everything up.

"Because you're a human."

I was right. But the truth still stung. "I knew it."

"Not in the sense you're thinking of."

"You said you can't read my thoughts." I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Amu, you're practically an open book. You probably think she hates you because you, a human, just suddenly popped up in our lives, right?"

I bit my lip but didn't say anything.

He sighed. "That's not true. What I meant by "human," I meant she's jealous because _you're a human_."

"Well, that just cleared everything up," I sarcastically muttered. "Makes perfect sense."

"She wants to be a human."

That cut me short. "What? I—"

"You don't know this but she was turned into a vampire because she was on the verge of death. She didn't wish to be a vampire."

"What happened?" I hadn't noticed before but our voices were barely audible at this point.

"She was mugged and raped by a group of bastards." His eyes flashed red for less than a second; maybe I was just imagining it. "Aruto found her in the alley and saved her life by turning her into a vampire. She has gotten over her sadness already because she met Kukai but the one thing she wants is something she can't have."

"And what is that?"

"Her own family. She wants a child." He rubbed my cheek with his thumb slowly. "And that's where she starts beginning to hate you. You can be a human and yet you desire to be a vampire."

"I never said I did," I quietly murmured. Truth is, it wasn't like I never thought about it. I did contemplate about being a vampire. And true to Utau's claim, I did consider being a vampire. If that was what allowed me to stay with Ikuto forever, then I would do it.

"She believes that's the path you choose, which brings me to my next point. Amu, as long as I live, I will not let you become a vampire."

My mouth hung open as I struggled for words. Didn't he understand that if I became a vampire, we could be together for eternity? Was he pushing me away? I sat up and not a second later, Ikuto followed suit. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want you to throw your life away for me."

"I'm not _throwing _my life away, as you'd like to put it. I can stay by your side if I become a vampire, right?"

His eyes darkened before he gripped my shoulders. "Amu, listen to me. It's not worth it. Do you want to spend the rest of your life being a bloodsucker?"

I winced at his choice of words. "I won't be a "bloodsucker," Ikuto. I won't be sucking blood from humans. I'll be drinking animal blood, just like the rest of you guys. I don't understand why you're so against it. Do—do you not want me by your side?" Without realizing it, my voice had cracked as I fought back my tears. I shouldn't be crying; I hated how weak I was.

"Amu, no, that's not why. Please don't cry." Ikuto hoisted me up and into his lap so that my legs were curled around his waist. He kissed away the tears that were threatening to spill from my eyes. "Amu, listen to me. Don't ever think that I wouldn't want you by my side. Even if you didn't want me by your side, I probably would've done something to change your mind. I just want you to live your life before you rush into rash decisions. I don't want you to feel any regret. I just want what's best for you because…I love you."

That was the first time he said that to me. I couldn't believe how good he was to me when I was just selfishly thinking about what _I _wanted. My heart had beaten faster and it was probably going to explode from my chest. My stomach churned at his sweet voice. Words couldn't describe how this man made me feel. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him fully on the lips. If it weren't for his quick reflexes, we would've fallen to the floor due to my overenthusiastic hug.

When we parted for air a few minutes later, I sniffled and said, "I love you too."

Ikuto laughed and kissed me on the nose. "Amu, stop being so cute." He captured my lips in a sweet kiss, pushing me down onto the bed. His lips traveled to my neck as he gave me light kisses up and down my neck. Just to make me squirm, he purposely licked the length of my neck and blew on it. I wriggled under him as he chuckled.

"Do you like that?" he said, with a teasing glint in his amethyst eyes.

I growled. "You're so mean."

He smiled before settling himself beside me. "You should sleep now. It's getting late."

I glanced towards the clock to discover that it was nearing two in the morning. I nodded in agreement before wrapping my arms around him once again as I cuddled him. I loved these kinds of moments; holding him close made me feel secure.

"Good night, Amu." He kissed my forehead.

I searched for one of his hands. When I found it, my own hand grasped his as I brought it between us. His hand was large and icy while mine was tiny and warm. However, these two opposites fit so perfectly together. I will never get tired of holding hands with him.

I smiled before drifting off into dreamland.

**X-x-X**

Ikuto had invited me to spend the following Saturday with his entire family. Apparently we were going to play baseball. When he told me this, I gave him a skeptic look. He knew pretty well how much I sucked at sports. If I'm up to bad, I would probably swing the bat, miss the ball, and hit the nearest person next to me in the face with my bat. Of course, Ikuto chuckled and said that would never happen because vampires have fast reflexes.

Sometimes that guy annoyed me to no end.

When I arrived at the Tsukiyomi household that day with Ikuto, I peered up at the sky and frowned when I saw dark gray clouds looming in. A low rumbled sounded in the distance. It would suck if we had to cancel our plans because of the bad weather.

As if sensing my thoughts, Ikuto nudged me, and said, "Don't worry about it. We knew it was going to rain."

"Then why…?"

He smirked. "You'll see."

I didn't like the mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

When the whole family gathered outside, I went to greet them. Seeing them all made me really happy. When my eyes landed on the relentless glare on Utau's face, my smile faltered.

Meekly, I stuttered, "H-Hi, Utau."

She didn't say anything as she coolly brushed her shoulder against mine as she stalked off towards the woods. Kukai followed after her, yelling at her to wait.

I sighed. Ikuto was at my side the next second, giving my arm a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't pay any mind to that, Amu. Shall we get going?"

I nodded numbly. I was about to head for the car when I saw Ikuto crouch down beside me with his back facing me. My eyebrow rose. "What are you doing?"

"We're going to be travelling on foot."

My stomach sank. "Oh god. Ikuto, you know I can't handle you running at lightning speed well. I'm going to throw up."

"I would never let that happen," he assured, throwing me a smug grin in my direction.

"If I do, you're a dead man," I grumbled. I walked towards him and settled myself on his back.

He hoisted himself up and yelled over his shoulder, "Hold on tight, love."

Before I could even blush, he was already bounding towards the trees at an unbelievable speed. I screamed in surprise. However, I noticed he went at a slower pace than the first time I rode on his back. It was as if I was on a moving car and not a jet. I screamed again; not in fear, but in delight as I gazed at my surroundings. We flew past the trees as Ikuto skillfully maneuvered his way around the forest.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and sighed happily. "I don't mind _this _speed."

"Shall we stop here and walk the rest of the way?"

We skidded to a smooth stop as I jumped off his back. I turned to face him. "Why'd we stop? Isn't it right there—"

He silenced me with a melting kiss. His hands locked with mine as I felt myself being pushed back against a tree. Not that I minded. He made me feel too damn _good _to care. I opened my mouth and shyly traced his tongue with my own. He growled against my lips in approval as his body was practically glued to mine.

All of a sudden, I felt myself being pulled away from the tree and against Ikuto's chest as he brought us several feet away from the tree. I looked up, dizzy from the unexpected action. Before I could retort, Ikuto growled murderously in front of me. I heard his brother before I saw him. I craned my neck back and saw Kukai booming with laughter.

"You're just too quick, aren't you, Tsukiyomi?"

"And you're just too much of an idiot, aren't you? Your thoughts were practically screaming at me before you even came within ten yards of us."

I giggled. "Hi, Kukai."

"Yo, Hinamori." He grinned at me. "I don't care if you guys are sucking each other's faces off but the rest of us are kinda waiting up ahead." He was by my side within a second and I yelped. Ikuto wrapped his arm possessively around me before snarling in displeasure. Kukai put his hands up. "Whoa, no need to bare your fangs at me, lover-boy. I'm just gonna borrow Hinamori for a bit since you're obviously not gonna budge anytime soon."

I laughed. I tried to break free from Ikuto's grasp but the stubborn man wouldn't budge. I pouted and gave him a quick peck on the lips. His hold slightly loosened from surprise as I waltzed out of his arms.

Ikuto frowned. He mumbled, "So evil."

I grinned. "At least I have one advantage over you." I was glad he couldn't read my mind; gives me the element of surprise. To Kukai, I said, "So, what did you need?"

"We're just gonna go back to the rest of the family. If Ikuto brought you, you never would've made it. So I came to help." He winked at me. "Time for Kukai's Super Mad Dash! For humans, at least."

Oh god, I didn't like the sound of that. He grabbed my hand. "Wait, wha—AH!" I let out a scream as he dashed away, forcing me to race after him if I didn't want my arm to separate from my body.

I noticed Ikuto running alongside us and I gave him a pleading look. "Ikuto, help!"

He smirked and neared me. For a second, I thought he was going to rescue me from Kukai but I was so wrong. He whispered in my ear, "Sorry, love, I'm just getting payback from before." And he was gone, gliding his way ahead of us.

I growled as I attempted to keep up with Kukai. "Tsukiyomi Ikuto, you're the worst!"

I swore I heard him laugh up ahead. I growled. I made an effort to run even faster. "Let's go, Kukai!"

"That's the spirit, Hinamori!" We ran even faster and I didn't know how I did it but I was able to keep up with Kukai.

When we arrived at the open field, Kukai hastily stopped beside his family. I shrieked when he suddenly let go of me.

"Gah! _Kukai_!" And I knocked into one of his family members. Both of us plummeted to the ground with me on top of the unfortunate soul. Well, crap. However, it was deadly silent. Wondering why, I cracked an eye open and my stomach dropped. And that was when I knew why it was eerily quiet.

I had crashed into Utau.

Oh god, please tell me this wasn't happening to me.

I bit my lip in apprehension. Oh god oh god oh god.

What astonished me and probably everyone else there was Utau's reaction.

She had laughed. Not just a giggle but full-on _laughter. _

I would have laughed with her but I was too shocked to. What had come over her? I thought she hated my guts.

"You should've seen your face, stupid," she said, after her laughter ceased. She took a deep breath and stood up. When I didn't move from the ground, she gave me a condescending glare from above. "Are you just going to sit there all day?"

I squeaked and immediately shot up from my previous position. "S-Sorry!"

She gave me a look before sighing. "Let's just start playing."

"Yes, ma'am!" I watched her walk away towards the center of the wide open meadow. Frowning, I turned around to meet the eyes of the rest of the Tsukiyomi family.

"What?" – was my dumb response to their inquiring stares.

"Utau-chan's opinion of you must have changed, Amu-chan." Nagihiko patted my shoulder and I eerily felt serene once he touched me. Must have been his power that Ikuto was talking about earlier this week. He left with Kukai, who had ruffled my hair before bounding towards Utau.

Rima came up to me and simply smiled. "Things will get better between you two."

"You really think so?"

"I know so." She gave me a wink. "Ikuto told you, right?"

I let out a laugh and nodded. She went after her boyfriend before telling me to enjoy the game. As I expected, I won't be playing, which didn't make me upset because I was absolutely horrendous at sports.

Souko and Aruto followed suit but not before throwing me their dazzling smiles. I subconsciously blushed and sent them a smile of my own.

Cool arms embraced me as I was pushed against a chiseled chest. I sighed in happiness as I threw my head back to look up at Ikuto.

"Hi."

He kissed my forehead. "Hey."

"Did you see what just happened? I can't believe it."

"I told you she didn't hate you." He smirked down at me.

I stuck my tongue out at him. Soon after I did that, I felt something drip onto my face. Confused, I glimpsed at the darkening sky. Another drop soon followed and another.

"Ah, it's starting to rain," Ikuto remarked. "Great timing."

"Are you being sarcastic?" How can they play if it was going to rain? As soon as I thought that, the rain picked up and it began pouring. Thunder boomed in the distance.

"Like I said, you'll see why a thunderstorm is necessary." Our hands intertwined as he pulled us towards the rest of the family. "Souko brought an umbrella and a raincoat though so you won't get wet."

"Please don't tell me you think I'll get hurt by a little rain," I teased.

"I just don't want you to catch a cold." He kissed me on the lips. Rain rushed down our bodies but I could care less. I moaned into his mouth, his body flush against mine. He pulled us apart before he continued to lead me to the field. "I would hate to see you sick."

Blood rushed up to my cheeks. "Y-Yeah. Right."

Souko decided to sit down on a tiny hill on the ends of the field where we could watch them play. She did offer me the raincoat but I declined. I didn't mind getting a little wet. Though I did accept the umbrella.

As they got into their positions, I noticed Kukai was up to bat and Ikuto was the pitcher. Aruto was the catcher and Rima, Utau, and Nagihiko were spread around the baseball field. None of them were wearing any gloves or any other baseball gear.

Thunder cackled nearer and I shivered.

"Amu-chan, are you cold?"

I shook my head. "Do you guys always play baseball?"

"Only when the weather is bad." Again with the weather. "I'm usually the umpire since Kukai and Rima end up arguing if it was out or not."

"I'm still amazed at how you guys can play when there's a storm going on."

"Oh, it's not that hard. Oh, it's starting!"

My eyes gazed at Ikuto. In one fluid motion, he threw his arm back and chucked the ball straight towards Kukai. I couldn't even see the ball until it was in Aruto's hand.

"Strike one," I heard Souko mumble.

"What the—I didn't even see that happen!"

Souko let out her tinkling laugh. "That's to be expected. We're faster than humans so the game will be faster-paced than usual, of course. You'll get used to it.

Doubt it.

Ikuto was rubbing his foot against the dirt and peered up at Kukai through his bangs. It must have been a mocking expression for Kukai huffed and readied himself with a new burning passion coursing through his body. Ikuto's arm went back and out went the ball. An incredibly loud _crack_ resounded. I jumped and glanced up at the sky.

"Was that thunder just now?"

"Nope, that was Kukai hitting the ball with his bat."

My jaw dropped.

I watched him dash around the bases with lightning speed. And mind you, the bases were spread out far and wide. When he was nearing second base, Utau quickly raced towards it. I heard another loud _bang _and tried to observe the results of this play.

"Out!" came Souko's firm call.

Utau had the ball in her hands and Kukai was at her feet. I wasn't sure what had transpired but this whole thing was still exciting and new to me.

It was Ikuto's turn now. I watched him step up to home plate with the bat in his hand. Kukai was pitching.

I heard Souko chuckling. "What is it?"

"Ikuto never gets a strike because he can read his siblings' minds. It always gets Kukai so worked up."

I laughed and turned my attention back to the game. I cheered, "Go Ikuto!" It wasn't loud but I knew he heard me for her turned in my direction to give me a smile. I waved and grinned.

Next second later, I heard another deafening _crack _as Ikuto's ball was sent soaring through the sky. I could now see why a thunderstorm was necessary; their version of baseball was _loud_. The sound of thunder disguised the thunderous hits they made every couple minutes.

Ikuto came up to third base before stopping. I cheered and watched as Utau made her way to home plate with a bat in her hand. She gracefully twirled it around her fingers as if it were a pen. Nagihiko was the pitcher this time. She flipped her hair back and sent him a confident smirk.

Nagihiko hurled the boy towards the blonde. She swung and the ball made contact with the bat as it was shot up and away.

"Utau-chan gets really into it. She's really competitive," Souko whispered towards me.

I smiled and nodded. "I can see that."

I noticed Rima practically gliding her way across the meadow to catch the ball. She caught it and was about to throw it to Kukai when she suddenly stopped mid-throw. The ball in her hand dropped from her grasp. Within a second, Nagihiko was beside her and Ikuto was beside me.

"What's going on?" My voice shook. I had a sinking feeling that something dreadful was about to occur.

"Just don't leave my side, Amu. It's going to be okay." His arm latched around me as I was pulled against him, the umbrella forgotten by my feet.

"Tell me what's happening," I pleaded.

A couple seconds later, the rest of the Tsukiyomi family had materialized around me and Rima was grasping my hand.

"Amu, a group of vampires nearby are coming for us."

I was so confused. "What do you mean by 'coming for us?'"

"It's not uncommon to see vampires roaming around here and there," Aruto explained. "However, we didn't expect a confrontation with them."

"They were initially heading towards the north before they simply heard us playing ball and wanted to see what we were doing."

"They're just coming to greet us? That's it?"

Rima nodded but her worried expression didn't leave her face. "They're just curious. But we can't let them know you're here. Amu, you have to remember that not all vampires are like us. These vampires don't feed on animal blood."

I felt my blood run cold as realization dawned on me. Here I was, a human, in the middle of nowhere.

"Is there any time to take Amu-chan away?" Nagihiko asked.

Rima shook her head. "They're coming in approximately three minutes."

"For now, we have to mask Amu-chan's scent." Souko appeared in front of me and began putting my hood up. She arranged my hair so that it was hidden by my hood. She hugged me and rubbed my back soothingly. "My scent will temporarily be on you, Amu-chan."

"Won't be effective enough. I can smell her from here," Kukai commented lowly.

"One minute," Rima warned.

"Let's just resume playing. We can't afford them to be suspicious of our actions."

All of them, including Souko, spread around the field but Ikuto remained by my side. It didn't escape my notice that he had remained silent throughout the previous conversation.

"Ikuto?" I murmured.

Unexpectedly, he swooped down to lock his lips with my own in a desperate kiss. I caressed his damp locks before cradling his face in my two hands.

"Ikuto, it's going to be fine. Like Rima said, they're just curious. They're probably going to leave right after." He didn't speak and I frowned. I whispered, "Ikuto, please say something."

"I'm not going to let them hurt you, Amu."

"Ikuto, it'll be fine." I brushed his cheek with my hands. His hands grasped my frail hands in his. He kissed them hard before giving me a bone-crushing hug.

"Don't leave my side for a second."

"Wouldn't dream of it," I assured.

I caught Rima's stare from behind Ikuto and I knew our time was up. I turned around and firmly stood my ground. The rest of the Tsukiyomis huddled around Ikuto and me as we awaited the unexpected guests.

"They're here," Ikuto whispered by my ear.

I could just barely make out three figures in the distance. As they came closer, I noticed the group consisted of two males and a female. They stopped about ten yards from us, allowing me to finally observe their outer appearances.

The male in the front was most likely in his mid-thirties. His brown hair was gelled back so his gray eyes could easily be seen. The male to his left was probably in his early twenties. His blonde hair was wildly blowing with the wind but his piercing blue eyes couldn't be avoided. I felt extremely uncomfortable under his watchful gaze. The female had short reddish hair with white ribbons tying up the two buns on the sides of her head. Her brown eyes glinted playfully as she threw a grin our way. She couldn't have been more than sixteen years old.

"Well, this is certainly new," Aruto remarked, starting off a light conversation. "We don't see many others like us in the area."

The male in the front chuckled. "We were just passing by until we heard many noisy sounds. We were just wondering what the commotion was."

"Ah, we were playing baseball. My name is Aruto, by the way, and this is my family." He gestured towards all of us and I couldn't help but feel elated when I was included in "his family."

"My name is Kazuomi. This here is Hikaru and the girl to my right is Rikka."

"How do you do?" Rikka greeted, giving us a wave.

Hikaru didn't make a move to introduce himself. Since he first arrived, his gaze hadn't left me and I was beginning to become unnerved. Ikuto must have noticed for he stepped possessively closer to me.

"Would you like to play with us?" Aruto offered.

Oh god, please say no.

To my relief, Kazuomi shook his head. "Thank you for offering but we best be on our way. Maybe we'll see each other again some other time."

"Maybe." Aruto nodded his way. "Be safe on your journey."

Kazuomi nodded and turned on his heel. Rikka waved goodbye before following the leader of the group. Hikaru, the blond man, slightly turned but his persistent gaze _still _didn't leave me. He didn't look like he wanted to eat me though; he looked confused. Though my interpretations of expressions aren't particularly good. For all I knew, he might be thinking of sucking the life out of me.

When he finally turned around, I breathed a sigh of relief. Ikuto didn't hesitate to turn around so that we would be further away from them.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, blowing my hood off my head. My hair was whipped around my head as I attempted to tame it.

Ikuto was in front of me the next split second and Hikaru was suddenly five feet away from Ikuto and me. I could practically see his fangs. What had happened?

"Hah, I knew she was a human. She didn't strike me as a vampire."

Oh no.

"A human?" Kazuomi and Rikka were beside Hikaru the next instant. Kazuomi continued, "Why is there a human with you? Your next meal, perhaps?"

I felt my blood turn icy cold.

Ikuto snarled at the man.

Kazuomi put his hands up. "I did not mean any offense."

"This girl is with us. She's a part of the family," Aruto slowly explained.

"A human girl with a vampire family? Hah!" Rikka cackled. "That's a good one!"

I shivered.

"Whether you choose to believe it or not, I do not care. However, I do care if you even think about harming her. We won't hesitate to fight you," Aruto ominously cautioned.

"Don't worry, the girl will be yours. However," Kazuomi looked towards his buddy Hikaru and shrugged his shoulders, "Hikaru may not leave her alone though."

Ikuto hugged me tightly to him and I winced at how firmly his hand was squeezing my shoulder. A bruise or two were bound to appear the next day.

"I would really appreciate it if you three would leave. I'm not too keen on the idea of fighting you when we've just met," Aruto said.

Kazuomi nodded. He roughly grabbed Hikaru's arm. "Come, Hikaru. Ignore the girl."

Before he tore his gaze away from me, he snickered and promised, "I'm coming after you."

And then they were gone.

Ikuto had already picked me up bridal-styled before I even had time to form another coherent thought. Before he could flee the scene, Rima grabbed onto his shoulder.

"Ikuto, _wait_."

"How can I?" he roared. His tone made me jump. "Rima, I'm sure you can understand what that man's thinking."

"Still, you have to remain calm—"

"How can I remain calm?! When that man caught Amu's scent, he had decided to have her, no matter what. Rima, he was formulating all these crazy plans on how to capture Amu. He's psychotic!"

Almost instantaneously, I felt the atmosphere lighten up. Must be Nagihiko.

"Ikuto, please remain calm." Souko's voice entered the conversation as she patted his shoulder. "We'll figure a way. Don't worry."

"How? This is all my fault. I shouldn't have brought her here. She would still be safe at her house—"

"There's no use saying that now, Ikuto," I say in a calm voice, despite the nervous wreck I was inside. My hand touched his cheek. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

He took a deep breath but didn't say anything.

"For now, we'll meet back up at our house. Then, we'll devise a plan."

Souko brushed my soaked bangs out of my face as she kissed my forehead before she was gone with the rest of the Tsukiyomis. I was still in Ikuto's arms as the rain continued to pound down on us, drenching us from head to toe. I quietly asked Ikuto to put me down, which he obediently complied. His bangs covered his eyes so I brushed them back.

"Ikuto." I looked up at him and couldn't look away from his pained expression. It broke my heart to see him like this. "Ikuto, it's not your fault at all." I leaned up to press a smoldering kiss against his lips. He hugged me tighter than before, if that was possible, as our kiss deepened. He was kissing me as if this was the last kiss we were going to have. When we parted for air, he buried his head in my neck.

"Amu, I'm just scared of losing you."

My heart hurt. "Ikuto, I'm right here."

He glanced up at me and promised me this. "I will never let him take you away from me."

Our fingers entwined together in a tight lock. Ikuto kissed me once again in a frantic manner. I was desperate too; I knew this fairytale of mine would eventually face a monstrous obstacle. However, my certainty of a happy ending was beginning to crumble as the hungry gaze of Hikaru entered my mind.

**X-x-X**

**Holy crap, that was long. Hope you enjoyed it!**

**Yes, Kazuomi's younger in this fanfic. It's weird seeing a vampire looking old with all those wrinkles, haha.**

**Another cliffhanger. Woot! ;D As you can tell, the story's ending soon. Maybe two or three chapters left?**

**Sorry if it seemed rushed and descriptions were lacking… I wanted to get this out as soon as possible. I just couldn't stop typing as I thought of more ideas. It was great. (:**

**Oh and I just saw Les Miserables. It was absolutely **_**amazing**_**. Go see it if you haven't!**

**Please review! (: and Happy New Year! **


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